When it Rains
by Castor49
Summary: How would Harry’s life have looked if he’d had other relatives than the Dursleys? Harry is saved from the Dursleys by his father’s cousin and comes to live with him and his family. Discontinued!
1. Going Home

This is an alternate universe story about how Harry's life could have looked if he had grown up in a family that loved him and were part of the magical society. Like I said this is an AU story so don't get angry with me if especially Harry is a bit out of character. After all he is a lot like he is because of the Dursleys. Oh, and this may be future slash. I'm not sure but I am a big slash fan so there is a possibility if I take this story beyond first year.

Hope you like it.

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Chapter 1 

Going home

It was a rainy Wednesday in the beginning of October. The rain was falling from the sky in big hurries drops over the identical houses of Privet Drive. In the house with the brass number dour on the wall, all four inhabitants were currently at home. For any visitors it would seem like there only liver three people in the house, a man, a woman and their son. Had the Dursleys had a choice in the matter that's the way it would have been. Unfortunately for everybody concerned there was another boy living in the house.

Harry Potter was a very quiet three year-old. He had very early learned not to ask questions or question why his cousin Dudley was given so much more than him.

Harry was currently sitting in the cupboard under the stairs in the Dursleys home which worked as his room. He was sitting on the bed with his only toy in his lap. It was a stuffed bunny named Eliot. He'd had Eliot with him when he came to the Dursleys after his parents had died. It was the only thing he had left from when he had lived with his parents. The Dursleys had tried to take Eliot away from Harry when he had first came to them, but he had started to scream and not stopped until the stuffed animal was returned and he had been allowed to keep it, for now.

Harry was looking through a book lying in front of him of the bed. He had smuggled the book out of Dudley's room without anyone noticing. It wasn't like his cousin would miss the book anyways. All the books Dudley had even the slightest bit of interest in was about either aliens or monsters. The book Harry had taken was about rabbits. One rabbit in particular. It was a small rabbit boy. He got lost from his family and the book was about how he found them again and then he lived happily ever after with them. Harry felt a bit like the rabbit in the book. At the age of three Harry knew that his parents were dead and that being dead meant that they wouldn't come back, but he couldn't help to wish that some nice family that loved him would come and take him away from the Dursleys so he could live happily ever after just like the rabbit in the book.

What Harry didn't know was that on that rainy Wednesday afternoon he would get his wish.

Adam and Melanie Potter were a rather normal wizarding couple, as normal as they could be living in New York City. They lived in a wizarding apartment building with their seven year old daughter Hailey and three other wizarding families.

The Potters were a pureblood family, something that was uncommon in a city such as New York, at least outside the pure wizarding areas of the city. Many pureblooded families thought that the influence from muggles were too big in the major cities and preferred to live on the country side away from the eyes of muggles.

It was true that living so close to so many muggles made it impossible to keep away from them completely. All the children in the building where the Potters lived old enough to go to school went to a muggle school a few blocks from where they lived. However it was a private school run by a man named Steven Parker who was a squib and therefore knew about magic and didn't freak out when weird thing happened at the school. It had happened once or twice that parents had been called to the school to Obliviate some of the students after some of the more extreme happenings.

Adam Potter was the cousin of James Potter, had someone that knew James been told that Adam and James were related they would definitely have seen similarities between the two men. Adam was a few years older than James and had the same unruly black hair and warm brown hair which were both trademarks of the Potters. Adam had only met his cousin a few times before the others death. The reason for that was that a rift had appeared in the family between Adam's father and grandfather. Adam's grandfather hadn't liked the idea of his son living and working on the other side of the world and had told him that if he wanted to go he could stay. Adam's father, William, had gone and he had stayed. The two brothers who had previously been close had been pulled apart and had only seen each other a few times after William had moved to the States. William had married an American pureblooded witch and together they had moved to New York where the family had stayed ever since.

Adam knew about James's death and what had led to it, as much as anyone did. He also knew James had had a son who was currently living with relatives of his mother. Lord Voldemort had never reached the States and had never become as feared there, therefore Harry wasn't as famous there for having been part of his demise, but he was still well known. What Adam didn't know about Harry was the boys living conditions.

Adam Potter worked at the department of magical sports at the American Ministry of Magic. He was sitting in his office when he heard the low tapping of an owl beak on the window. It was rarely people sent letter by owl to the Ministry. It would seem suspicious if too many owl was seen flying to and from one of the sky scrapers in down town New York where the Ministry was located. It did however happen now and then and it was never good news, this was no exception.

He went over to the window to let the owl inside.

"Hello there dear. What kind of bad news are you the bringer of?" He asked the owl as he carried it over to his desk where he put it down. The owl held out its leg and Adam took the letter from it. He noticed that the envelope wasn't the normal parchment but instead made of muggle paper and his name was written on it with a ball-point pen. The letter inside was written with the same muggle appliances as the envelope. His heart fell and he felt a clump grow in the pit of his stomach as he read the letter.

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_My name is Arabella Figg. I live close to the Dursleys, the family that is the guardians of our departed cousin James Potter's son Harry. The reason why I have decided to write to you is to inform you of the conditions under which Harry is living. I know my accusations to be true after having both seen the treatment for afar and from hearing from the boy himself when I've been looking after him for the Dursleys. _

_I regret to inform you that he is being neglected, is forced to sleep in a cupboard located under the stairs, is barley being fed and he is repeatedly being beaten by his cousin who is his equal in age. _

_I myself am a squib who has been keeping an eye on young Mr. Potter since he came to live here. I've tried to inform Albus Dumbledore, the man who placed Harry in the care of the Dursleys, of these events, however he doesn't seem willing to do anything to better the boy's conditions._

_That is why I am writing you now. I have spent a lot of time trying to locate any other relatives the child might have and I came up with your name after a lot of work Mr. Potter._

_My request is that you use your powers as relatives of the boy to get him away from these abusive people. I hope for the sake of a young child that you take this letter seriously and that there is something you can do to help._

_Sincerely Arabella Figg._

Adam let the letter fall to the desk. He stared empty at the air in front of him. When he a Melanie had first heard of James and his wife's death they had contacted the British Ministry of Magic about getting custody of Harry. The man Arabella Figg had mentioned, Albus Dumbledore had answered the request and told them that Harry had gone to live with relatives if his mother and that he would be protected there by ancient magic and it would be good for him to grow up away from the magical world after what had happened with Lord Voldemort. Adam had thought the last part was crap and if anything the boy needed more than anyone to know what he had to expect from the world to which he belonged, but he hadn't question the man something he regretted now. He had thought that Harry at least was cared for and loved and safe.

Adam got up from his chair and left his office taking the letter with him. He had to see his wife.

Melanie Potter worked, just like her husband, at the Ministry of Magic but in the Department of magical law as a lawyer. She was sitting in her office going through a ridiculously large pile of legal documents when her husband burst in through the door without knocking.

"Where's the fire?" She asked with a slightly amused voice. Melanie was used to her husband's antics. It seemed to be a job requirement to be childish if one wanted to work at the department of magical sports and her husband definitely fulfilled that requirement. Melanie was a woman in her early thirties with chocolate brown hair falling in waves down to her shoulders and blue eyes that were a warm sky blue colour when she was with her family and friends and a piercing ice blue when she was in court. Her daughter had her father's black hair, but with Melanie's softer wavy quality and her blue eyes.

"England." Melanie had noticed as soon as Adam was fully in the room that something was wrong, his voice only confirmed it. It was strained and hurried. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but got a letter pushed in her face as an answer.

"Oh my god." She said when she had read the letter. "We have to do something, Adam."

Adam nodded. "So how do we do this?"

The next morning, after Hailey left for school, the two adult Potters left for the Ministry and the Portkey office. It was too far to apparate or use floopowder to get to England so portkey was their only option.

"The next portkey for London leaves in 22 minutes." The man working in the Portkey office told them.

"Book us on that trip, and are there any available trips back later today?" Adam asked.

"There is one with empty places that leaves at 8 tonight local time."

"That's good, book three on that trip."

The man nodded and did as he was asked. Both Adam and Melanie had taken the day off to go to England and get Harry. They had no intentions to wait longer than necessary. Melanie had barley slept that night as it was.

Most of the previous day had been spent working on a way to get Harry to be allowed to leave with them when they showed up today. To get Harry's aunt and uncle to agree didn't sound like it would be too hard, but one could never be sure. The biggest problem had been to find a way to get the custody of Harry before Dumbledore figured out what they were doing. Melanie who'd had contact with the people at the Ministry who worked with questions regarding guardianships and adoptions knew who to ask for a help. She had gotten a friend to get them all the paper they would need to become Harry's guardians all they needed were the Dursleys signatures. Something Melanie wasn't below threats to get.

After a short time of waiting Adam and Melanie went to the room from where they would take the portkey. They were to only two who would take this trip so they were alone in the room.

"This is going to work right?" Melanie asked.

"Everything is going to be fine." Adam assured just before a pull behind their navels appeared and took them away.

Harry was still sitting in his cupboard when he heard a knock on the door. He ignored it and continued with his book, it was never for him anyways. He could hear his uncle walk out of the living room and over to the door.

"Yes?" Uncle Vernon asked, apparently he didn't know the people at the door.

"Are you Vernon Dursley?" A man asked he had a different accent than the people Harry knew, but he had heard it on the TV and thought it was American.

"I am who are you?"

"My name is Adam Potter, this is my wife Melanie."

Harry's heart began to beat faster and he snuck up to the door and opened it a bit to try to get a look at the strangers. The man who had spoken had the same unruly black hair that Harry had that aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon hated so much. Not that they liked anything with Harry, they just called him a freak and locked him in the cupboard.

"We are here about Harry, may we come in?" The man named Adam Potter continued. Even from behind Harry could tell uncle Vernon didn't want to let the man and the woman in but he did in anyway and closed the door hurriedly.

"What do you want with the boy?" Uncle Vernon asked he didn't even invite the man and woman inside to sit down.

"We would like to take him out of your care." It was the first thing the woman had said. Harry's eyes grew large. Was it true, had someone really come for him liked he had dreamt of so often. He heard aunt Petunia walk past his door and walk into the hall where he could see her.

"Why would you like him?"She asked she practically spitted the word him.

"Because you clearly don't." The woman said, her voice calm but even from afar Harry could tell her eyes were like ice.

"He was given to our care for a reason."

"Yes, to be loved and cared for like any other child." The two women glared at each other while the men sized each other up. Uncle Vernon was definitely bigger but the other man looked strong.

"Albus Dumbledore said here was the only place the boy would be safe."

"Albus Dumbledore is a moron." The man said. Uncle Vernon had turned slightly so Harry could see half his face and he seemed to agree.

Harry couldn't stop himself any longer but pushed the door open and stepped out in the hall.

Melanie's eyes fell on the small boy who had appeared from under the stairs when she heard a noise coming from that direction. He wore clothes that were too big for him, glasses that seemed to cover half his face and he was holding a worn stuffed rabbit and a book. She felt her eyes tear at the sight of the boy. He was so small and appeared even smaller in the big clothes.

"You must be Harry." She said and sat down on her hunches to get in level with the boy. She could see the lightning shaped scar on his forehead that was the memory of his parent death.

"Yes." Harry said and nodded. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mel and this," she pointed at her husband. "is Adam."

"You said I could go with you. Can I?" There was a hope in the young boy's voice that made the tears in Melanie's eyes threaten to start falling and a part of her wanted to kill the Dursleys and not think about consequences, a rather large part.

"If you want to."

"Are you my family?"

"Yes we are, our name's Potter just like yours." The boy started to beam. Melanie couldn't stop herself and she went over and picked the small boy up from the floor and gave him a hug. She noticed how light he was and sent a glare in the Dursleys direction but didn't trust her voice enough to say anything.

"If you are his family and probably just as weird as him, why wasn't he sent to you in the first place?" Mr. Dursley asked.

"Dumbledore is a moron." Was Adam's only answer, Mr. Dursley seemed satisfied enough, if a bit irritated.

"So how do we do this?" He asked.

Adam took out the paper he'd had with him from his pocket. "Just sign these and Harry's custody will be transferred to us." He gave the papers to Mr. Dursley who walked in to the kitchen with his wife trailing him. They reappeared a few minutes later and handed the paper back to Adam who took out his wand and pointed it at the document. The document had magically sent one copy directly to the American Ministry of Magic, one to the British Ministry and made one extra copy of the paper the Dursleys and the Potters had signed.

"Here keep this copy in case someone comes to question you." Adam said and handed over one of the papers.

"Dumbledore you mean." Mr. Dursleys said.

"Yes, that exactly who I mean." Adam turned to his wife and their soon to be son. "Let's go. It there something you have that you want to bring Harry?"

The young boy shook his head. "Only Eliot and my book." He said and showed the things he was holding. Melanie hugged him harder. She knew she would spoil him like crazy when they got home. They had a few hours now too before their portkey left and she would drag Adam with her and shop for Harry right away.

She turned and left the house without a look at the Dursleys or a word to them. Adam followed her but before he left he took one last look at the house where Harry had lived for the past two years. The last thing he saw was an overweight boy sitting at the top of the stairs staring at him with a big satisfied smile. Looking at Harry's cousin Adam was even more grateful they had gotten Harry out of the house as soon as they did. He only wished he wouldn't have had to come here at all. At least the Dursleys hadn't put up any kind of fight.

When they left number four Privet Drive it was four thirty in the afternoon. Harry was clinging to the woman who had saved him from his aunt, uncle and cousin and had no intentions of letting go until he was sure he wouldn't have to go back.

They walked to an empty alley where they stopped. Harry looked at the woman, Mel he remembered her name was, and wondered what they were doing here.

"Harry, we a going to use something called apparition to go to London." She said with that soft voice Harry already loved. He nodded his understanding even though he didn't know what apparition was, if it was something living with the Dursleys had taught him it was to not ask questions. "It's going to feel a bit weird but I promise that it's not dangerous." Harry nodded again. "Ok here we go."

Harry felt like he was being squished through something really small and it was all black and he couldn't breathe. He was about to panic when the feeling disappeared and they were somewhere else. Harry didn't even realize it but tears had started to roll down his cheeks.

"Oh, honey I'm sorry. I know it can be scary the first times." Mel was lovingly patting him on the back and whispering soothing words in his ear. He felt himself being taken from the arm of the woman and instead being held by the bigger and stronger arms of the man, Adam.

"Hey, buddy." He said and looked down at Harry, holding him with one arm and whipping his tears with his free hand, a smile on his face. "You know what, I hate appertaining too and I have to do it on my own and _that_ is scary so next time we have to do I think you should go with me so you can keep me company. What do you say?" Harry nodded and Adam smiled even brighter."Great, now I think your new mom wants to go and by you a whole new wardrobe and a half toy store." Harry could see Mel glare at him in the corner of his eye, but the word mom had made him froze.

"Will you be my parents?" He asked, afraid that they would say no.

"Of course we will honey, if you want us too."

"Who wouldn't want us as parents?" Adam asked. "We're great parents."

"Adam!" Mel scolded him, and Harry giggled.

"What, we are, ask Hailey."

"Who's Hailey?" Harry asked.

"She's our daughter. She'll be your sister. She's looking forward to meeting you." Mel explained. They had talked to Hailey the day before and explained about Harry to her. She had been so excited about getting a brother she had been jumping up and down. She had been disappointed when she hadn't been allowed to come with and get Harry, but had eventually agreed to go to school so that she could tell everybody there that she would get a brother.

"Oh ok, I want to meet her too." Harry was quiet for a while when they started walking towards the stores of muggle London which was their first stop. The two adults wondered what he was thinking about, but decided that when he wanted to tell them he would. They were on their way into a kid's clothes store when Harry decided to speak.

"Can I call you mom and dad?" his voice was so low it took a few seconds before Melanie or Adam understood what he had asked them. When they did they both lit up with big smiles.

"Of course, honey." Melanie said and gave him a hug, even though he was still being held by Adam.

"What else would you call us?" Adam said.

Harry was the happiest he could remember ever having been.

They shopped for a while before going to eat at a restaurant, it was the first time Harry had been to a restaurant and it had been really exiting and almost scary for the small boy. It hadn't been made easier by the fact that Harry had been allowed to choose what he wanted for himself. For Harry it had been dinner, a rather late one at that and for Adam and Melanie lunch. Then they shopped some more in the muggle part of London. Melanie pulled them between several different clothes and toys' stores. Buying more things than she would have been able to carry hadn't she been able to use magic. Their portkey would leave from Diagon Alley and they decided, Melanie decided, to go there last. The two boys simply followed her lead.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron and walked through the bar without anyone really noticing them. Harry was still being carried by Adam but he was now wearing some of his new clothes. It was a pair of loosely fit jeans with footballs embroidered on the back pockets and a green sweatshirt. It wasn't cold enough to need a jacket yet. Ha also wore a pair of new blue and white sneakers. Even the underwear and socks were new, and of course he was still holding Eliot. He never let go of his friend if he could help it. Eliot was the only friend he'd had at the Dursleys and he wouldn't give him up easily. The book he had brought was kept in one of their many shopping bags and his old clothes had been thrown away.

They reached the backdoor of the dark pub and walked out into the cramped area behind the Leaky Cauldron. Harry once again wondered what they were doing and hoped it wasn't that squishy thing again, he couldn't remember what it was called but he had _not_ liked it. His ´dad´ took out that weird stick thing he had used at the Dursleys again.

"What is that?" During shopping Harry had figured out that his new parents didn't mind him asking questions.

"It's a wand." Adam answered.

Harry had heard of wands, witches and wizards had them, but the Dursleys had told him that kind of things weren't real. "A magic wand?" He asked anyway.

"Yes, I'm a wizard and so are you. I take it your relatives didn't tell you that." Harry shook his head.

"That doesn't matter now. You're back in the world you belong, and we love to have you here. We'll show you everything." Harry nodded eagerly. He loved to learn new things.

Adam tapped the right brick in the wall and the bricks started to rearrange themselves to create a portal leading out to the bustling Diagon Alley. Melanie had noticed Harry's will to learn new thing, all children asked questions but the way Harry asked them made him seem older than his three years. When they had gone shopping for toys she had gotten him a lot of puzzles and books and also learning toys, some which were for children closer to Hailey's age than Harry's she had a feeling they would be needed to keep the young boy stimulated.

Harry looked around Diagon Alley from his safe position in Adam arms. There were people rushing back and forth everywhere. There were sounds and smells that were both new and at the same time familiar to Harry in the air. He saw that the people here were dressed differently from what he was used to. Most wore long dress like clothes even if they were men. There were a few people that wore normal clothes but they weren't many.

"We don't have much time before our portkey leaves, but we have to get you a broom before we leave. The rest of your wizarding supplies we can get when we get home." Melanie said and started leading them through the crowd.

"What's a portkey?" Harry asked Adam.

"You remember we told you we live in New York." Harry nodded. Adam and Melanie had told him that during their dinner. "The portkey is how we will get there, it's an object used for long distance transportation, or when big groups that can't apparate have to go somewhere." Harry scrunched up his nose that was that word he didn't like, apparate. Adam noticed and laughed at him, ruffling his hair.

Harry and Adam walked slowly through the bustling crowd giving Harry plenty of time to look around at all the different things and people. When Adam had suggested letting Harry walk on his own Harry had put his small arms around the man's neck and hugged him had clearly showing he had no desire to get down on the ground.

They stopped outside a shop. There were broomsticks lying in the window and a group of boys were standing outside the window talking about the broom lying in the very middle.

"A comet 180." One of the boys said. "If I only had enough money to buy one myself, my father will never get it for me."

Harry and Adam went into the store leaving the boys outside to continue their watching of the broom. Melanie was standing at the clerk's desk talking to a man. She smiled to the man and handed him a few gold coins. She turned around with a smile at her two boys.

"We'd you go?" She asked.

"Harry wanted time to look around."

"Oh, sorry I rushed away, but I really wanted this done before we had to leave." She held out a long package. Quality Quidditch supplies made the best children's broom in the world and she had wanted to get one for Harry before they left.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"You'll see when we get home."

Harry got curious. Since they were in a broom shop he thought it might be a broom. He knew from having seen it on the TV that witches flew on brooms, if he was a wizard Melanie was probably a witch. He hoped it was for him, but he didn't know if he was too young to have one. Maybe it was for Hailey.

Melanie looked at her watch. "We really have to go now. If we miss our portkey Hailey will have our heads."

"You right she will." Adam agreed and they started making their way out of the shop again. They walked over to the building in Diagon Alley that worked as Portkey station and walked inside a little under ten minutes before their portkey left.

This time they didn't have the portkey to themselves there was another couple traveling with them. They smiled at the Potters when they walked in. The portkey itself was an old pillowcase lying on the floor.

"What are we doing here?" Harry asked looking around the almost empty room. He was starting to get tired of going weird places to go somewhere else. First it was the alley. Then the back of a dark pub filled with weird people and now an empty room safe for two other people and an old pillowcase. Besides Harry was getting really tired, he was usually asleep at this time.

"We're taking a portkey home." Adam said with an amused grin at Harry's confused expression.

"We're is it?" As Harry said as another voice declared that travelers to New York, Ministry of Magic should get ready for departure. The young man from the couple traveling with them walked up to the pillowcase and picked it up. The woman traveling with him also took hold on the pillowcase.

"Harry you need to touch the portkey too." Adam said as he took hold of the pillowcase.

"That is the portkey?" Harry asked in disbelief staring at the pillowcase.

"Yes, and you need to touch it or you'll be left behind." Harry hurriedly took hold of the pillowcase. About a minute later he felt a pull behind his bellybutton and he was lifted forward. The world was spinning around Harry. He had learned something knew today. He did _not_ like traveling with magic.

They touched ground with a bump. Harry groaned and hid his head in Adam's shoulder. He felt sick and even more tired.

"Now it's just one more trip honey and we'll be home, ok?" Melanie asked. Harry nodded weakly, he really didn't feel for one more trip but guest he didn't have much of a choice. Harry looked around as they walked through the corridors. There were men and women walking back and forth in the corridors. Many were carrying or reading papers, some were talking with each other. Now and then post-it notes would fly by them only to fly around corners or in trough doors.

They took an elevator to get downstairs and ended up in the Ministry entrance hall. Each side of the hall was lined with fireplaces and high pillars seemed to be holding up the high ceiling. What Harry noticed was that they seemed to be underground rather than on street level, but he was simply too tired to question it.

Harry, too tired to look anymore closed his eyes and rested his head against Adam's, his dad's, shoulder.

"Harry you have to stay awake a little while longer." His new mom's voice said and she stroked his cheek. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. They were standing in front one of the many fireplaces. Melanie took a pinch of a powder standing in a jar on took of the mantel piece. "This is floopowder she explained." Harry was too tired to even nod. She threw it in the fire burning in the fireplace and the flames turned green. She walked into the flames and said, "132 street." and disappeared. Harry wanted to be shocked and surprised, it was a bit hard when being more or less asleep though.

Adam too took some of the powder and threw it into the flames. He stepped into them with Harry and he too said. "132 street." The world started to spin again and Harry closed his eyes in an attempt to not get nauseas again. Finally the world stopped spinning around him. Harry opened his eyes and looked around in a large entrance hall. The floor was covered in a red Persian carpet and the walls were cream coloured. A large wooden staircase led upstairs.

"We live on the third floor." Melanie said. They hadn't more than gotten to the stairs before Harry fell asleep in the arms of his dad.

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I hope you liked it so far. REVIEW 


	2. New Family

OK here's the next chapter it's a bit shorter than the last one, but I just couldn't make it any longer.

I know I in the last chapter said that this might be slash. _This _story will not be slash if anything it will be light pre-slash. If I were to continue the story beyond first year at Hogwarts there might be slash.

I'm currently having a bit of a writer's block, but hope to get over it soon. I have two more chapters already written so hopefully you will not notice too much of it.

Hope you like it and remember to review.

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Chapter 2

New Family

Hailey Potter could not sit still from excitement. She had always wanted a brother or sister but it had never happened. Then yesterday her parents had told her that they would be going to pick up a small boy who would become her brother. She had flown up from the couch where she'd been sitting and hugged her parents. She knew the boy wouldn't really be her brother but it was close enough.

Now Hailey was walking around in the house waiting for her parents to come home with Harry. They had said that if they could not find a portkey to take them home that day, they would send an owl from the Ministry before they left. There hadn't been an owl waiting for her when she got home, which meant they could be coming any minute.

She had just gone from standing up to flipping back down on the couch again for about the tenth time in as many minutes when the front door opened. She rushed out to the hall only to be hushed by her mother.

"He's asleep?" She said in disbelief. She had been looking forwards to this all day, told everyone in school and he was asleep.

"Yes, it's late in England now and it's been a long day for him. We should let him sleep." Her mother gave her a hug. "There'll be plenty of time to meet him tomorrow and every other day after that. Hailey nodded in agreement, though she still was disappointed.

The next time Harry woke up he was somewhere dark, the only light came from one flickering candle sitting on the wall in front of where he was lying. For a second her thought it had all been a dream and that he was back in his cupboard. A second later he realized that was impossible. First of all the bed he was lying in was both too big and too soft to be his old one and the room which slowly became visible around him was also way to big.

Harry didn't like being alone in such a big room. He was use to his cupboard. Looking over the edge of the bed he saw a trail of red lights leading in two directions, one lead to a door on the right side of the bed and one to a door straight ahead of him.

He slowly got out of bed, taking Eliot with him who was lying beside him and decided to first make his way to the closest door, the one on the right. It turned out to be a bathroom also lit with candles but more than the bedroom had been. He used the toilet and decided to follow the other trail as well and see where it led to.

He walked through the door and came out into a corridor. He followed the trail to the left where it led out into an open area where Harry saw two couches, a TV set and a piano among other things. Here too a few candles was burning giving his surrounding a warm flickering light. In the other end of the room there was a set of double door, the red light led up to the doors which were slightly ajar and in through them. Harry followed and came into a large bedroom with an enormous bed in the middle.

Walking up to the bed he saw his new parents asleep in it and decided to join them. He reasoned that if they hadn't wanted him here they wouldn't have left the trail. He climbed up on the bed and crawled his way in between his parents where he lay down and fell asleep again.

When Harry woke up again it was light coming in from the large windows behind the bed. Harry couldn't remember having slept so well or feeling so rested before. He usually was woken up by his aunt and never allowed to sleep for as long as he wanted. He noticed his parents were still deep asleep and not wanting to wake them he carefully made his way to the bottom of the bed where he crawled off it and down to the floor, taking Eliot with him.

When he got closer to the doors he heard sounds coming from the room outside them. It sounded like the TV he had seen earlier was on. Curious Harry pushed the door opened and peered out. He could see the back of the head of a person sitting in one of the couches watching a cartoon on the TV.

Slowly he made his way forward. The person on the couch must have either heard of sensed him because a girl turned around and looked at him.

When Hailey saw Harry she started to smile, he was so cute in his blue pajamas cowered with yellow cars.

"Hello." She said. "I'm Hailey."

"Harry." Harry said looking a bit uncertain about what to do. He knew that his mom had told him that his sister would be named Hailey so he guessed this was her. She looked nice with hair the same colour as him and their dad but a lot longer and eyes that were the same colour as their mom's.

"You wanna watch TV with me?" Hailey asked. Harry nodded and walked around the couch and climbed up on it to watch TV. He wasn't wearing his glasses and the picture was a nit blurry but it was ok, he could at least see what was happening on the screen. Hailey told him that they were watching ´Teenage mutant ninja turtles´ and that that was her absolute favorite show.

Harry heard a low pop somewhere to his side and looked over and saw something that looked like, he had never seen anything like it before. It was about as tall as him, maybe a bit taller. It had a long snout like nose, big ears and big eyes like tennis balls but blue. The thing was dresses in a white pillowcase with embroidered P's along the lower hem and a rope around the waist making it look like a weird kind of dress.

"Would young mistress and master want breakfast?" It asked with a squeaky voice.

"Mom says we have to eat in the dining room." Hailey said clearly not liking that rule very much.

"Does young mistress want Tesly to prepare breakfast to serve in the dining room?"

"Ok, make enough for mom and dad too."

"Yes, mistress Hailey." The thing said and disappeared.

Harry had been staring at it with big eyes while it had been there. He turned to look at Hailey. "Hailey what was that?"

"That was a house elf. Her name's Tesly and she serve our family." Harry nodded. "House elves like to serve wizards, we don't force them too. They would be unhappy if they didn't have things to do. The worst punishment you can give to a house elf is to set them free. They can only be set free if their master gives them clothes. That's why they never wear normal clothes and they would be offended if someone tried to give it to them." Harry nodded again, he sort of understood what Hailey had said, but this new world was very complicated. What he at least had gathered was that the thing had been a house elf named Tesly and she didn't want clothes. He thought that was the most important.

"Come on let's go wake mom and dad." Hailey said and grabbed Harry's hand. She dragged Harry back into the room from where he had come.

She held her finger to her lips to show Harry to be silent. They made their way over to the bed and climbed up without waking the two still sleeping adults. On Hailey's cue they both started to jump in the bed around the two sleeping forms that didn't stay asleep for much longer.

"Oh, come on guy's it six fifteen in the morning." Adam complained. "You're horrible little people, you know that."

"No we're not and you love us to death." Hailey said and sat down between her parents.

"Your right, you're not and yes I do."

Harry sat down on his knees in the foot end of the bed not knowing if it was ok for him to intrude on the original family. Melanie sensed the young boy's hesitation. "Come here honey." She said and held out her arms to him. Harry crawled up to her and sat down in her lap holding Eliot in his. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry nodded. "I woke up and came in here. Was that ok?" He looked worried.

"Yes that was ok honey. That was why we left the trail for you. Did you wake up early though?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what time it had been when he woke up.

"He got up about half an hour ago." Hailey supplied.

"Really?" Adam asked. "You slept for fifteen hours?" Harry shrugged again he had no idea for how long he had slept but he knew he had loved having woken up on his own in the morning.

"I guess you needed it." Melanie said and hugged him tight.

The next few days passed quickly, with Harry settling in without too many problems. Melanie had taken a week off to help Harry adjust. Hailey and Adam had been at home for the first two days too, which had become four due to the weekend, so that Harry could get to know his new family. In the six days that had passed since Melanie and Adam's trip to England Melanie had been bombarded by owls from her and Adam's families, but she had decided to wait to the weekend before introducing Harry to them. To go from one aunt, one uncle and one cousin to mom, dad, sister, four grandparents, ten aunts and uncles and eleven cousins could be a lot for anyone, especially a three year-old.

Harry had already met the other three families living in the same building as him. On the fourth floor it was Mr. and Mrs. Falkland. They were like an extra set of grandparent to the children it the building and loved to take care of them when the parents wanted some time alone. Not that any of the children minded, the Falklands had a big room filled with toy of both muggle and wizarding origin, and always gave them candy and ice-cream no matter what day it was.

On the second floor Hope and Patrick Sellenger lived with their two daughters River and Faith, and on the first it was Erika and Martin Chapman and their three boys Simon, Michael and Liam and their daughter Patricia.

Everybody had loved Harry and he had enjoyed meting them too even if it had been a lot for the boy at times.

The building the Potters lived in looked from the outside to be a normal building. It was an old four story building that was quite rundown. The inside on the other hand was well taken care of and like not unheard of in the wizarding world bigger on the inside than on the outside. There was only one fireplace in the building connected to the floo-network and that one was located in the entrance hall on the first floor. It was here Harry had exited the fireplace the first time he had come to his new home. It was one apartment on each floor, even though they were more like houses on the inside than apartments.

The Potters home was a two story house with living room, kitchen, dining room, library with two connecting studies and a bathroom on the first floor and five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a sitting room on the second. The house, or apartment was made in a Victorian style with hardwood floors, double doors, and large furniture and four-poster beds in all the bedrooms.

Harry's room which was the second door on the right coming up from the stairs, had gotten a remake in the last few days since Harry had moved in. from being a guest room decorated for an adult it was now a kid's room. The colours were in blues, greens and white. The walls were light green with a blue border were boys were flying on brooms. The bed was white like the rest if the furniture in the room, with blue hangings which also had moving pictures of broomsticks on them.

Harry had loved the broom Melanie had gotten for him. It had is name engraved on the handle and was charmed so that an adult could change how high the broom would fly but no higher than ten feet over the ground. Harry's only flew so his feet were a couple of inches over the floor and he already loved it.

The room also had blue thick carpets on the floor and a group of big cushions lying in front of the fireplace that were in the room. There were also a few bookshelves on one wall and a chest at the bottom of the bed for all his new things.

There were two big windows on either side of the bed overlooking the garden behind the house. The four families in the building shared the same garden. It was the kind of magically shielded area that muggles couldn't see even if they were standing looking out on it from their window that covered the walls on the houses surrounding the garden. All they saw was a rundown patch of cement. What Harry saw from his window was a not big, but not small lawn, a small flowerbed and a few benches. It really was a lovely little garden, and magic made the sun reach down to it between the high buildings of the city.

When Harry woke up on the Saturday he was feeling nervous. Like most of the mornings he woke up in his parent's bed. He always went to bed in his own, but if he woke up during the night like he did most nights we left his own bed for his parent's. Today was the day when he was going to meet his whole new family for the first time.

When Harry had heard that he had eleven cousins he had at first felt a bit scared, what if they didn't like him like Dudley. His mom had assured him that they would all love him. Despite the reassurance Harry was nervous. He climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom, when he was done he went out to the sitting room where Hailey sat watching Teenage mutant ninja turtles like she always did in the mornings. He sat down next to her and waited for their parents to wake up so that they could eat breakfast together like they did every morning.

Harry couldn't believe he had only lived here for one and a half week, it felt like forever. He could barely remember how it had been with the Dursleys. Up till now his mom had been at home with him when dad had been at work and Hailey in school, but starting next week he would have to go down to Erika who was a stay at home mom during the days. It was both scary and something he was looking towards too. He liked playing with Michael and Liam who were twins and one year older than him.

The door to his parent's bedroom opened and they came out.

"Who wants breakfast?" Adam asked.

"I do, I do!" Harry said jumping up and down on the couch. Adam was amazed how much happier the small boy had become during the past one and a half week and with his happiness his liking for food had also increased. In the first two days he had barley eaten looking like someone would yell at him if he took too much food. As a way to help him Adam had put way to much food on his plate and told him to eat all that he could. After that it had become easier for Harry to take want he wanted from that table, which was everything, even the vegetables Hailey was only pushing around on her plate and tried to hide in her napkin.

Adam picked up the happy boy and started walking towards the stairs with Hailey and Melanie walking ahead of them.

Harry found all the magic going on in the house fascinating. He had been told that the weird things that had something happened to him at the Dursleys to make his aunt and uncle call him a freak had been magic and was completely normal. Like when one time Eliot had gone missing, he hadn't been anywhere. Harry had closed his eyes and wished he was there when he had opened his eyes again Eliot had been laying on the bed in front of him again.

The magic his parents did was much more advanced. They could make things fly around the room or make things appear out of thin air or change how they look like they had done when they'd made Harry's room look like it did now.

It was two o'clock in the afternoon and Harry's full new family was about to arrive. Harry was sitting on the couch in the living room on the first floor playing a game with Hailey when the doorbell rang.

It didn't take long after the first ringing before the house was filled with people. All in all nineteen people showed up. Five of the children were of enough to have started Setherton School of magic, which was the only real magic school in the country and was located somewhere in the middle of the country as far as anyone knew, and one of Melanie's two brothers had a business trip he had to make.

Harry immediately liked his new family and they adored him. Harry spent most of the day playing with two of his youngest cousins Melinda and Sophia.

"He's adorable." Jessica Radcliff, Melanie's sister said looking at Harry who was playing with her youngest daughter.

"Yes he is." Melanie agreed. "I can't believe they treated him the way they did."

"Why didn't you report them?" Adams mother Teresa Potter asked.

"We didn't want to force him to have anything more to do with them at all. To report them would have led to a trial, that's not something I want to put a three year-old through."

The two other women nodded in agreement.

"Have you heard anything from that Dumbledore?" Jessica asked. Melanie had told her about Dumbledore keeping Harry from them even though he had known about Harry's situation.

"No, if he knows Harry's here he haven't told us about it. We did write a letter to Mrs. Figg and thanked her for informing us, she didn't mention anything about Dumbledore either."

The three women were quiet for minute while they watched the children play.

"When's the adoption?" Teresa asked.

"We're going to the Ministry on Wednesday to sign all the paper. Harry will officially be our son after that."

"I'm so happy for you, all of you. All of us are."

"Mom." Melanie said and walked over to her mother. "I know you're retired but…"

"You want me to take a look at the boy's eyes." Catherine Tatter said.

"Yes, would you."

Mrs. Tatter was a retired healer who had specialized in eyes when she had been working. Melanie had wanted to wait to buy Harry new glasses until she knew if there was something her mother could do to correct Harry's vision. It wasn't always magic could correct ones vision, but she could hope.

"Harry?" Melanie walked into the boy's room where he was sitting on the bed looking in one of his new books. It was only Melanie's and Adam's parents that were still visiting the other had left about an hour ago.

Harry looked up at them and Catherine walked over to the bed and sat down. "Do you think I could take a look at your eyes Harry?" She asked with a soft voice.

"Why?"

"I would like to see what kind of wrong you have on your eyes, would you let me do that?" Harry looked at his mom who nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"Ok."

Catherine took Harry's too big glasses off and made him lie down on the bed. She took out her wand and pointed it at Harry's eyes. "Keep your eyes opened as much as possible."

A light appeared at the wands top. Harry noticed that even though the light was bright it didn't hurt his eyes. The light started as a light blue but soon changed to a strong purple. When the light disappeared Catherine was smiling.

"Would you like me to fix your eyes so you won't need glasses anymore Harry?"

"You can do that?" Harry said with big eyes.

"Yes I can."

A big smile spread on the small boy's face and he nodded.

* * *

I'll update in about a week, just so you know. 


	3. Schools and New Friends

Chapter 3

Schools and New Friends

Four years had passed since Harry had come to live with the Potters. The Dursleys were only a distant memory in the seven year-olds mind. Harry was sitting in his room doing homework. It was math and so ridiculously simple it was boring.

When his mother had brought him puzzles, books and learning toys when he was younger to keep him entertained she had been right it would take a lot to keep him stimulated. Harry was smart sometimes a bit too smart for his own good. Like when thinking up pranks to play on everybody he knew and sometimes didn't know.

No-one would say Harry Potter was mean or evil, but he could make your life hell if he wanted to. Harry was writing in answers on the homework while he was thinking about how unfair life was. In two days Hailey would leave for Setherton and Harry would be left at home to continue going to the stupid boring muggle school. It wasn't really that he minded that there were muggles there or going to school even, it was that it was so boringly easy. He really hoped magic would be more of a challenge.

Harry closed his schoolbook with a bang and got up from the desk. He left the room to go look for his sister. He had to see if he could disturb her in her packing of annoy her in any other way. He walked across the hall to see if she was in her room. Pushing the door opened he saw Hailey standing in front of her open trunk staring unseeingly in to it.

"What's up Hails?" Harry's style had change quite a lot from the shy, worried child that had left England four year ago. He was a lot more secure of himself and had developed a quite different style of clothing. For the day he was wearing black tight jeans, lime green converse all-stars and a short sleeved black button-up shirt with a loosely hanging purple tie around the neck. The tops of his black hair were standing strait up and were dyed blue.

"I don't know what to pack."

"How hard can it be? Didn't you get a list?" Sometimes Harry just didn't get his sister.

"But I can't just pack the things on the list. There is so much else I will need, I won't be home until Christmas." Hailey whined.

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "You know your strange right?"

"Like you aren't, if you were just to tell someone how easy you find school you would be moved up a grade or two and maybe find it worth your time to go."

Hailey had tried to get Harry to tell the teachers that the schoolwork was too easy for him for a long time now, but Harry didn't want to. That was one of the things that the time with the Dursleys had done to him, he didn't want to be different. Not if he could help it anyway.

"What and give up on good grades and a lot of time to spend planning new pranks." He said mock offended. "You should have been there when I hid all the cooking ladies' hair net thingies. Apparently they are not allowed to serve the food without them."

"That is so childish."

"It was a hurried thing. I didn't have time to go through with my big plan."

"Which was?"

"I'll tell you when it's all done." He said with a slightly evil glint in the eye that all that knew him knew to be afraid of if they liked their homes or themselves in their current appearance.

Hailey went back to her staring. "Hails! The trunk won't tell you what you need to pack if you stare at it long enough."

His sister glared at him. "What did you want anyways?"

"Something to do, I finished my homework. It was so boring." He flopped down on the bed.

"I won't even tell you again."

"Thank you for that."

"You have to tell someone."

"I thought you said you wouldn't say anything."

Hailey sat down on the bed next to her brother. "What is it that is so scary with being special? You know that you already are. That scar of yours is proof of that, and your clothes and hair."

Harry knew about Voldemort. Hell, everybody knew about Voldemort. He just didn't think about it much. The scar was a part of him no more no less. He knew about the curse that had killed his parents and that had hit him and rebounded back on its caster. He knew that he was special. He didn't need to be more special.

"Why do I have to be special, I just want to be normal," Harry said falling back on the bed with his hands over his head. "And the clothes are just a part of being me."

"So that's the problem." Harry glared at her. "You can't keep hiding Harry. You'll find school much more fun if you actually have some kind of challenge."

"How do you know?" Harry was sulking. He knew it and he didn't care.

"You love to learn knew thing Harry, you always have. You started reading when you were four for crying out loud."

"So?"

"So? Come one Harry you're a freaking genius, you're doing second grade work when you could easily be doing forth. You're going to make yourself stupid if you continue this, it's another part of being you along with the clothes and the hair."

"I won't have time to make up as many good pranks."

"Thank god for that." Hailey said with a laugh.

"Hey! I happen to like doing pranks. Besides you're leaving." He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Ha! You're jealous." Hailey almost jumped with glee.

"Am not, and I'm not going to that stupid school you're going to anyways."

"What, you don't want a magical education?"

"'Crouse I do, but I want to go to Hogwarts." He sat up and looked at Hailey.

"That's the school your real parents went to, right. It's in England."

"Yes, my _biological _parents went to Hogwarts, and it's in Scotland." Harry had long ago decided that James and Lily may have been his biological parents, but Adam and Melanie were his real parents. To think of James and Lily as his parents wouldn't have been right to Adam and Melanie and he couldn't even remember James or Lily.

"England, Scotland same thing."

"It's people like you who make the rest of the world think all Americans are lousy at geography."

"Hey!" Hailey hit him over the head with a pillow. "Just because I'm no genius it doesn't mean you can be mean to me."

"All I said was the truth."

"So you want to go to Hogwarts instead?"

"Yes, I've thought about it a lot. I haven't even been back to England since I came here, but a part of me still thinks of that as home."

Hailey nodded. "You have to talk to mom and dad, about that and also about getting moved up a few grades."

Harry groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Harry let out a sigh. "Might as well do it now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, get it done with." He got up from the bed. "You continue with your packing." It was Hailey's turn to groan.

Two days later it was time for Hailey to leave. Harry had talked to his parents and they in turn had talked to his teacher who had decided to let Harry do a few tests to decide which level he was on. On the subject of going to Hogwarts his parents had agreed, his mother without hesitation and his father after a bit of persuasion from his wife and son.

Adam Potter had liked his only son to go to the same school he did, but had been forced to see it from Harry's perspective when the boy had told them about still feeling part English and not having any good memories from when he used to live there. Except for when he had been saved from the Dursleys and those memories weren't very clear considering he had been three at the time.

"Do you have everything?" Melanie asked Hailey. Hailey was already dressed in her new school uniform. She wore black pants and a white button up shirt and an open robe over. The girls were allowed to choose if they wanted to wear pants or skirt. Of course Hailey had picked the pants. The shirt would be changed to purple, light blue or green when she got to the school and found out which house she would belong to.

"God I hope so."

No-one noticed the smile that crossed Harry's face.

"We have to go if we don't want to be late." Adam informed the two stressed out witches.

After a few more minutes they made their way out of the door and down to the entrance hall. They met River and Simon when they got downstairs they too were going to school. Simon was starting his fourth year and River her second.

"We've you been?" River asked when they stopped in front of the fireplace. "Harry what did you do?"

"Me?" Harry looked confused. "What would I have done? I never do anything, I'm a saint."

"Of course you are. Saint Harry." Simon said with a laugh.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and pouted and glared at Simon, the others laughed at him. "I didn't do anything."

"You've done too much already. No-one will ever believe you again." River informed.

"I guess I just have to leave the country." Harry said not looking at his family.

"That's the only way you'll get anyone to trust you again." River agreed.

While they had been talking his dad had lit a fire in the fireplace and taken a pinch of floopowder from the jar on the mantelpiece. He now was in the process of pushing Hailey and her trunk into the green flames.

"Salem station." She said and disappeared. Salem Square was the wizarding shopping area in New York. The name was a mystery to Harry. It had nothing to do with Salem and it definitely was not a square, more like a maze. The Salem station was terminal of sorts. There was a portkey office, a room with about ten fireplaces, a broom rental office, a train platform and the way to get to Setherton school of Magic.

The other four did the same as Hailey had. Simon and Rivers parent had already said goodbye to their children and Adam and Melanie was taking them the rest of the way.

Harry stepped out of the fireplace. He had long ago perfected the art of traveling with floopowder even though he still didn't really like it. They came out into the floo-room that was located in the station. The five of them walked out of the room and came out into a larger area were people were rushing like they always do at stations.

The Potters, Simon and River walked through the crowd over to a large set of double doors. The doors were always closed except for when it was time to start or end a break from Setherton. The way to get to the school was through the large mirror standing in the room. There were six such mirrors spread throughout the United States and Canada, since the two countries shared one school much like all the countries in Great Brittan did. The mirrors lead to the mirror room at Setherton. It was only the students of the school that was allowed to enter any of the mirror rooms and everywhere around the doors families were saying goodbyes to their children.

The group stopped and Melanie gave Hailey a hug. "Take care, sweetheart."

"I will mom."

Melanie let go of Hailey and turned to hug the other two children who were leaving as well. "You two take care also."

"It's school Mel, not something dangerous." Simon said.

Melanie huffed. "I've gone to that school too you know and it wasn't so long ago I've forgotten all about how it was."

The other laughed at her. "I wasn't implying that you are old Mel, but now that your mention it."

Melanie shot Simon the ice glare that she usually reserved for the court.

"Be nice to the children dear." Adam said stifling a laugh.

"I'll be nice to the children when the children are being nice to me."

"I think we should go now." Hailey interrupted.

"You're right sweetie." She hugged Hailey again "Send us an owl now and then, will you."

"'Course mom."

Adam hugged her too. "Don't get into too much trouble. A little bit of trouble is good."

"Adam!" Melanie scolded.

Adam continued like he hadn't heard her. "Too much trouble on the other hand is a pain in the ass. Now hurry you wouldn't want to be late would you."

Harry was the last to hug Hailey. "Did you find all those special things you needed to pack?"

"Yeah I hope so. Worst case mom will just have to send them to me."

"You could have thought of that before you panicked."

Hailey stuck out her tong at him and turned around. With a smile Harry watched her leave. As Hailey walked through the door he wondered if she would appreciate his present. He smiled evilly at his sister's retreating back.

Early during the morning Harry had sneaked in to Hailey's room and stuck a magical sticker to the inside the lid of her trunk. The sticker had a charm on it to adjust to the size of the area to which it was stuck. ´I love my brother´ now decorated the whole inside of Hailey's trunk along with a moving picture of Harry. He couldn't have Hailey forget about her only brother now could he? The best part about the sticker was that it could only be removed by the person that had put it up. Something he had no intentions of doing even if he had been in the same state as Hailey. He could await an angry letter from his sister in a near future. It was so worth it.

It was the beginning of November and Harry was having a break from school. He was now eight years old and it had been over a year since Hailey had started Setherton. Harry still refused to remove the sticker from the inside of Hailey's trunk lid. It was lucky Harry had their father on his side or he might would have been forced to do it.

This break was different from all his previous, Harry and his mother were going on a trip, alone. Melanie had decided to take Harry on a trip to London during his break, and that's where he was now. They had arrived the previous day, and were staying at the Silver Unicorn, one of the nicer hotels in Diagon Alley.

Harry was walking down the street, a light rain pouring down around him. His mother had cast a charm on him protecting him from the rain, but the cold and the wind was still there. Harry was as usually when he was in the wizarding world wearing a mix of muggle and wizarding clothes. The only time he went totally wizard was he was forced to go to one of those ridiculous ball his parents dragged him to more often than he wanted. That was one of the downsides of having a dad who was head of the department of magical sports.

For the day he was wearing black pants and jacket with an emerald green cloak over along with a scarf in the same green colour which matched the colour of his eyes and the tops of his hair.

He had left his mother in the book store Flourish and Blotts and was walking down the street on his own. After being used to Salem Square, Diagon Alley was easy to find his way through. He stopped in front of Quidditch quality supplies and had a vague recollection of having been there before.

He stepped into the store after taking a quick look at the Comet 240 lying in the window. Most of the people inside were boys Harry's age and up. He spent some time walking around looking at the different brooms and supplies. In the corner of his eye he saw a boy about his age looking at one of the brooms, a Nimbus 1000 as far as Harry could see.

Harry wasn't usually the kind of person to walk up to others and try to make new friends out of strangers, but it was something about this boy that made Harry curious. He had blond hair that was slicked back and was wearing a traditional wizarding robe in black and a black cloak. Harry could tell just from looking at him that he was pureblood and high society. That only made Harry more curious. His family was pureblood too and was from poor. Still Harry knew he was nothing like the boy looking at the broom in front of him.

Slowly he made his way over to the boy and stood next to him also looking at the Nimbus.

"Want one of those?" Harry asked.

"Yes, they're not the fastest broom on the marked but it's one of the more stable one and it's easy to maneuver."

"Perfect for a Keeper." Harry supplied.

"Exactly." The boy turned and looked at him. He had steel grey eyes that looked at Harry like he was trying to figure him out. "Draco Malfoy." He held out his hand and Harry took it.

"Harry Potter." Draco's eyes immediately went to the scar on Harry's forehead. Harry found it a bit annoying but he had become used to it after all the years of meeting new people who all wanted to look at his scar. "Cool isn't it?" Harry couldn't help but say.

The blond boy looked away from the scar. "Sorry."

"It's ok. Unfortunately I'm used to it."

"You're American?"

"Yes, I've lived there since I was three." Harry confirmed.

"I thought you weren't living in the wizarding world." Draco's father had told him that the Boy-Who-Lived had been taken out of the magical world to be raised by muggles.

"Who told you that?"

"My father."

Harry thought for a minute. "Who told your father that?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore I think." A smile spread on Harry's face and Draco looked at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Something my dad told me about Dumbledore."

"What?" Harry looked around the shop. Judging by Draco's reaction about who he was, it might be good to keep a low profile. At least no-one was close to them.

"Do you like this Dumbledore guy?"

"No, he's a manipulative old coot." Draco said with a sneer.

"Glad you feel that way." Draco lifted an eyebrow. If there was someone he had expected to like Dumbledore it had been Harry Potter.

"Why?"

"Well let's just say that the people I was living with in England didn't exactly like me and he still thought I should stay there."

Draco nodded. He wasn't a hundred percent sure what Harry had meant, but it didn't sound good but it did sound like something Dumbledore would do.

"So you play Keeper." Harry said changing the subject.

"I wish." Harry looked at him questioningly. "My father wants me to play Seeker like he did in school."

"Don't you have someone who can back you?"

"You mean like my mother."

"Yeah."

"She's not that interested in Quidditch and don't really see the differences between the positions."

"There's a huge difference." Harry was shocked someone couldn't see that.

"I know!"

The two boys got into an animated discussion about the different positions in Quidditch. They were so deeply in the discussion they didn't even notice the woman walking up next to them.

"Who's your new friend Harry?" Melanie asked.

Harry jumped at his mother voice. "Mom, where'd you come from?"

"I've been standing here for a couple of minutes listening to your very detailed description of the Wronsky feint."

"Well," Harry said. "It's a very complicated feint. It takes time to explain satisfactory." Harry said it like he was a professor explaining something to a group of students.

"Yes of course it is honey." Harry glared at her. "Hello, I'm Melanie Potter."

"Draco Malfoy." Draco took the offered hand and shook it.

Melanie of course knew of the Malfoys. They were one on the, if not the, most powerful and influential family in whole of Great Brittan. She smiled at the boy. "Pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise." Draco looked up and saw his own mother enter the store and coming over to them.

"Draconis." She said in way of greeting. The woman looked a lot like Draco with the same blond, almost white hair and slightly pointed features.

Draco winced at the name. "Don't call me that."

His mother completely ignored him just as always. She noticed the Potters and offered her hand to Melanie. "Narcissa Malfoy, I'm Draco's mother."

"Melanie Potter, this is my son Harry."

Narcissa's eyes, just like her son's, traveled to Harry's scar and he had to fight not to roll his eyes. If the same thought that Draco had had traveled through Narcissa's mind she at least didn't say anything.

"Have you been to Diagon Alley many times before?" She asked instead.

"No. it's the first time Harry's here since he came to live with us five years ago and I haven't been back since then either."

"Would you like us to show you around? I'm sure the boys would have more fun it each-others company than spend the whole day with only their mothers."

"That sounds great, if not the boys' mind of course." She got to negatives shakes on the heads in response from the two happy looking boys.

"Fantastic." Narcissa exclaimed. "I can't say that I don't appreciate having someone to talk to except for an eight year-old either." Draco stuck out his tong at her and the others laughed.

They left the shop and started to walk down the street.

"So you're here on vacation?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes a short one. Harry wanted to go to England since he hasn't been back for so long and I was overdue a break from work."

Narcissa nodded her head. "Where is it you live? I can tell from the accent that it is somewhere in America."

"New York City."

"Really, inside of Salem or outside?"

"Outside."

Harry and Draco had been walking a short distance in front of their mothers. Draco turned to look at Harry.

"Salem's in New York?"

"No," Harry said with a small laugh. "Salem Square is like Diagon Alley. It's an area for only magic people in New York. It's usually only called Salem. Don't ask me about the name because I really don't know. It's not located in Salem and it's about as far from a square as you can get."

Draco nodded. "And a lot of people live there?"

"Yeah, it's like a city in the city. There's only a small part of New York's magical population that live like us outside of Salem."

"Is it nice living there?"

"New York?"

"Yes."

"It's the best, but I can really remember having lived anywhere else so I can't say I'm impartial."

Most of the day was spent walking in stores and they took a break eat lunch in one of the restaurants before continuing with the shopping. At four thirty both Harry and Draco were more than tired of Diagon Alley and had sat down on two chairs in the latest shop.

"We don't want to walk anymore." Draco whined. He usually didn't whine his parents had raised him to not do it. Like when he was dragged around on society party after society party and he just wanted to sit down in a corner and sulk. Instead he talked to the right people and was the perfect son and heir. But right now he was too tired and bored to care.

"Our feet hurt and we're tired." Harry agreed.

"And hungry." Harry nodded.

The two boys looked at their mother with identical begging and sulking expressions.

"Maybe giving those two time to bond wasn't one of my best ideas." Narcissa said with a smile at her son and his new friend.

"I think it was a good call, and the two us got to know each other in the process."

"Yes that was nice wasn't it? What do you say coming with us home and have dinner?"

The two boys immediately looked less tired. "Can you?" Draco asked Melanie.

"I don't see why not. As long as it's no problem, I'm no big fan of eating out anyway and there are funnier places to spend the evening than a hotel room."

"That's settled then." They left the shop together and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron from where they would floo to the Malfoy Manor.


	4. Meet the Malfoys

I'm so so so sorry i haven't updated sooner. I will try and update more regulary but i can not promise anything I'm afraid. the whole uppcomming year is going to be weird and I don't know how much access to computer I will have or time to write for that matter, but i can always hope. Enjoy this chapter anyway. Bye for now.

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Chapter 4

Meet the Malfoys

Harry stepped out of the fireplace and brushed ashes off his clothes. The room he had arrived in was about the same size as the entrance hall at home and decorated in different shades of green.

"Nice place." He said to Draco who had been the one traveling first and was already waiting for him.

"It'll do." Draco answered with a smirk.

The room they had arrived in turned out to be only one of the Manors sitting rooms. After a tour of the house Harry had figured out that it was about four times as big as the Potters home divided on three floors.

Harry and Draco were sitting in Draco's room waiting for the dinner to be ready. Dinner was always served at seven o'clock sharp at Malfoy Manor, no exceptions.

"What's it like living in a place like this?" Harry said looking around Draco's room. It was at least twice as big as the one Harry had at home and Harry's wasn't small.

"Sometimes it's a bit too big." Draco confessed. "I mean, it can be a bit lonely."

They were sitting on the large bed playing a game of Exploding Snap. "I can understand that, you don't even have any brothers or sisters."

"No, you had a sister right?" Harry had mentioned Hailey earlier during the day.

"Yeah, Hailey. She's 12 and goes to Setherton."

"What's Setherton?"

"Setherton school of Magic is the only magic school in North America. All my grandparents except for my granddad on dad's side, my parents, aunts and uncles, all my cousins and friends who are witches or wizards either have gone, goes or will go there."

"Oh, you'll go there to then." Draco was feeling a bit disappointed he hadn't known Harry for long, but he still would have wanted Harry to go to Hogwarts with him. Despite knowing the boy for less than a day they had become closer than Draco had ever been with anyone before except for his parents and godfather.

"No."

"No? Where will you go then?" Draco started to feel a bit more hopeful.

" Hogwarts. You know I was born here in England right." Draco started to smile at Harry's confection. They would have so much fun in school once they were old enough to go.

"Yes, everybody knows that." That the Boy-Who-Lived was British wasn't a secret.

"Yeah I suppose. So anyway I've decided that I want to go to Hogwarts instead of Setherton, since a part of me still feels British."

"Don't sound like it." Draco had made fun of Harry's American accent all day, and had no intentions of stopping now.

"You think my accent's funny you should hear your own." Harry crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"At least I know how to talk."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry narrowed his eyes.

"For example do you even know what the word ´yes´ means?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then why don't you use it?"

"What…" Harry thought for a second while Draco looked smug. "Oh I'm sorry." He said sarcastically. "Yesss, I know what yes means."

"See much better." Draco said sounding even smugger than he looked.

Harry unable to come up with a good comeback line decided to go physical instead. He threw himself towards Draco who in an attempt to get away from Harry tried to move out of the way. It only resulted in Harry hitting him in a way that sent both boys flying to the floor.

It was a good thing that the walls and floors of Malfoy Manor were as thick as they were or the two women sitting in the downstairs parlour might have been disturbed in their conversation by the two boys currently rolling around on the floor, behaving in a way that was certainly not becoming of a Malfoy.

"You said Harry had been living with you for five years." Narcissa said, she'd been curios about how Harry had come to live with his family ever since she'd met Harry and Melanie, but hadn't wanted to ask in front of the boy in case he didn't want to talk about his life before.

"Yes, we were contacted by a woman living not far from where Harry's relatives lives. She told us about how they were neglecting him, barley feeding him and having him live in a cupboard under the stairs."

"Oh my god." Narcissa eyes grew big and her hand went over her mouth.

"That was my first reaction too."

"How could they do that?" Narcissa couldn't understand how anyone could be that cruel to a child a three year-old at that. The world was far from perfect but to actually know someone who had gone through something like that.

"I don't know, and I won't go back there to ask them either."

Narcissa nodded. "What about Dumbledore?" As far as Narcissa knew the man still claimed Harry lived with his muggle relatives.

"He knew what Harry was going through with those people, still he wouldn't do anything." There was a cold anger in Melanie's voice.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like that man, but to let a child be abused. For what, does anyone even know?"

"No I doubt that. We've never heard from him. We thought that he at least would send us a letter after we had removed Harry from his relatives telling us he knew what we'd done, but we didn't get anything, thought it was a bit strange actually."

The two women sat in silence for a few minutes. "You said a woman contacted you." Narcissa said after a while.

"Yes a Squib named Arabella Figg, why?"

"The thing is, Dumbledore still claims Harry Potter is being kept safe by his muggle relatives. It isn't well known, but my husband has a status that allows him to find these kinds of things out."

There was another silence. "Are you saying Dumbledore doesn't know Harry has lived with us for the past five years? That we adopted him?" Melanie was staring at the blond woman with big eyes.

"Well if he didn't have contact with the part of the ministry dealing with guardianships and the woman who wrote to you was, and is the only contact he ever had with Harry, it is possible."

"So if Mrs. Figg has kept writing to Dumbledore telling him everything is fine for all these years, he doesn't know anything?" Melanie started to laugh.

"It's a possibility." Narcissa said also laughing.

"I'm telling you, she wasn't happy with Dumbledore when she wrote that letter to us, but do you really think she would do that?"

"I don't know her, but I think you should write her when you get home and find out."

Melanie nodded. Any further discussion was interrupted by a man entering the room. He had long hair that was the same blond as the other two Malfoys.

"Hello dear." Narcissa said and got up and gave Lucius a small kiss.

Melanie too got up and walked over to the couple. "Hello, I'm Melanie Potter." She held out her hand.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Melanie and I met in Diagon Alley today." Narcissa explained. "Well, actually it was Draco and Harry who met in Diagon Alley today. We found them talking in Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"I see." Lucius seemed a bit amused at his wife's explanation. "Did you say Harry Potter?"

"I wondered how long it would take for you to pick that up. Yes I did."

Lucius looked between the two women standing in front of him. It looked like he had an internal battle going on. "You will have to explain this to me during dinner. I'm famished."

"Melanie and Harry are staying to eat with us." Narcissa informed.

"I gathered as much." He turned to Melanie. "I hope my wife hasn't been too much for you."

"No." Melanie laughed. "We've had a great time and the boys' have had a lot of fun too. At least I think so."

"You're American."

"I'm fascinated over how perceptive Englishmen seem to be, yes I'm American."

Lucius laughed at the woman's mock sarcasm, it was rarely people were very open with him. It was something that came with the title and also with the fact that they didn't really trust him.

Harry who was the bigger of the two had managed to pin Draco to the floor when he heard the small pop that indicated the arrival of a house-elf.

"Dinner is ready Master Draco." It squeaked, and disappeared before it too could be attacked by either of the boys.

"We should go." Draco said from under Harry.

"Yes, I'm hungry." He was careful pronouncing the ´s´ in yes.

The two boys got up from the floor. Harry had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Draco's hair. Fortunately the blond boy was standing with his back to Harry and didn't see the smile on his face. Draco's hair was more or less standing straight up and was a complete mess. Judging by how it had looked when Harry had met Draco that morning, messy was not a way he liked his hair. Harry had no intentions of telling him of its current condition. It would be way more fun to let his friend walk down to dinner like that.

Together the boys made their way through the corridors and down the stairs to the dining room. Draco's room was on the third floor on the south side of the manor and the dining room was on the north side on the first floor, as far away as you could possibly get.

"Why is your room so far away?" Harry asked as they were walking down the second set of stairs.

"It's the dining room that's far away, not my room."

Harry shrugged he supposed that was one way of thinking of it.

When they got into the dining room the three adults grew silent at the sight of the boys.

"What?" Draco asked.

"What have the two of you been doing?" Lucius Malfoy asked staring at his son's hair. While the two women tried not to laugh and not succeeding to well.

"Draco's been teaching me to talk, sir." Harry said and walked over to the table and sat down in one of the empty seats. "I can now say yes in a satisfactory way."

Draco was still standing in the doorway looking between his mother and her new friend laughing, his father looking shocked and Harry looking extremely smug.

"What'd you do?"

"Me?" Harry looked at him with large innocent puppy eyes.

"Yes you. What'd you do?"

"I didn't really do anything. You did most of the work yourself."

"Mother?"

"It's nothing dear. Come and sit down." Narcissa had managed to stop laughing. She knew how important the hair was to Draco. She didn't know how Harry had succeeded to make it into a mess without Draco noticing anything, but he had and judging by the smug look on the boy's face ha had also figured out that the hair was something that was important to his new friend.

"I will not. Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Well," Harry started. "You see you hair…"

He didn't get any further before Draco's hands flew to his head and his eyes got big and became filled with horror at the feel of the mess covering his head.

"You messed up my hair!" He almost screamed at Harry. No one messed with Draco Malfoy's hair.

"If you hadn't made us end up on the floor it wouldn't have become such a mess. The bed was much softer you now."

Lucius shot the raven haired boy a look at his choice of words. Had anyone else than an eight year-old boy just said that he had seriously been wondering what had been going on in that room.

"If you hadn't tried to maul in the first place we wouldn't have ended up on the floor."

"Your right, I'm sorry." Melanie stared at her son. Harry never apologized for something as small as messing someone's hair up. "Can I make it up to you?" Harry asked and got up from his chair.

"Ok, I guess." Draco sounded a bit hesitant.

"Great." Harry walked back to Draco with a smile and stood in front of him. The adults could see that he was doing something to Draco's hair but they couldn't see what due to the fact that Harry was a few inches taller than Draco.

When Harry stepped back Draco's hair was still messy, but an organized mess. Narcissa noticed that her son looked a lot different like this. More childish and mischievous, more like Harry she noted. It looked good though. "That looks good."

Draco tried to reach for his hair but had his hand pushed away by Harry. "Don't touch it, you'll mess it up. Your mom's right it does look good."

"How my eight year-old son learned to do hair will stay a mystery to me." Melanie said, with a shook of her head.

"Hair is important." Harry declared as he and Draco sat down at the table. Draco nodded in agreement even Lucius seemed to have a slight nod on the head. "But, if you want to know you can blame it on Hailey, her and her magazines."

Sometimes, when it came to how he looked, Melanie didn't know if Harry was an eight year-old boy or a fifteen year-old girl. On the other hand Hailey was the exact same way and had been for years. That Harry had just told her she could blame Harry's fashion sense on Hailey only confirmed what she had suspected.

During dinner Lucius had gotten the story of how Harry had been saved from the Dursleys. The three boys had also been told the women's theory regarding Dumbledore and they had all found it extremely amusing, especially Lucius. He didn't know what the headmaster's plans for the boy had been, but he knew they had been crushed by him being brought to America. Lucius felt very gleeful that evening and had offered Melanie to use one of their owls to send the message to Mrs. Figg. He needed to know the answer.

It had been decided that Melanie and Harry would stay at Malfoy Manor for the remaining two days of their vacation and a house-elf had been sent to the Silver Unicorn to pick up their things and bring them to the Manor.

Harry and Draco were lying in Draco's room talking. An extra bed had been added to the room for Harry to sleep in. there were more than enough rooms in the Manor to have give Harry one of his own but the boys had asked to share instead.

"So did you like what I did to your hair?" Harry asked, Draco had disappeared to inspect it after dinner and reappeared several minutes later with it still looking like Harry had made it. Harry had taken it like a good sign, but no-one had brought it up.

"Yeah, it was different but I liked it."

"I think I'm growing on you."

"What makes you think that?"

"First you let me fix your hair, and then you say yeah. I'm proud of you Drake."

"Did not."

"You so did."

Draco huffed and turned away from Harry pretending to go to sleep. Draco lay in bed with a smile on his face he couldn't believe he and Harry had become such god friends in such a short time. They hadn't even known each other for a day yet. Draco had other friends but none was like Harry, they were all so – pureblood. Harry was different he was a bit crazy, and the fact that he had given Draco the fist nickname he had ever had only made Draco like him more.

"Good night Harry." He said to the dark room.

"'Night Drake."

Lucius Malfoy's first impression of Harry Potter was that the boy had been too influenced by muggles. When he had walked into the dining room the previous evening the first thing Lucius had seen had been the muggle clothes consisting of black pants and black and red striped t-shirt and black messy hair coloured green in the tops. Then he had been too shocked by the sight of his son to think much more about the other boy.

During the dinner Lucius had learned that it was a lot more to the Potter boy than his appearance and a talent for styling hair. He had started to explain to Melanie about what he did in the ministry and in general as an influential person it the society. He didn't really have a job but plenty to do anyways, when Harry had actually struck up a conversation with him about international politics.

At first Lucius had thought Harry had been joking with him but it soon became clear that Harry knew exactly what he was talking about and where he stood in different questions. It had felt a bit weird to talk about those kinds of thing with a boy the same age as his son, but he had soon gotten over it.

Harry told them that he was going to a muggle school back at home and that he had skipped two years because they had been too easy for him. Draco had for a while looked a bit put out about the fact that it had turned out that his new friend was a genius. It hadn't lasted long though, all it had taken was Harry staring at the different kinds of silverware muttering about never learning which one to use first and the fact that Melanie complained about Harry spending more time thinking up pranks than concentrating on homework.

Lucius felt that Harry would be good for Draco the friends he had here were all the children of people Lucius knew from old. Not all were people Lucius really liked or liked Draco socializing with.

After the first war Lucius had been accused for being a Death Eater, the accusations were not without foundation. He had supported the Dark Lord. He had also wanted to get out. The problem was that at the point he had figured that out his wife had been pregnant and all he really thought about was protecting her and his unborn child so he had stayed loyal out of fear for their wellbeing. The irony was that it was for the same reason he wanted out. He didn't want his child to be dragged into the same mess he was in.

After Voldemort's fall Lucius had managed to stay out of prison and was currently playing for both sides. For the time being it was better to lie low. He doubted very much the threat from the Dark Lord was over and he didn't want to totally turn his back on those who had been Death Eaters with him seven years ago in case they decided to dispose of him or turn him in to either side now or when the Dark Lord returned.

In the case of Draco, Lucius only wanted the best for his only child. He knew he spoiled Draco. Which might give him a bit of a shock when he would have to face the real world, however Lucius felt Harry could help him with that. The fact that the raven haired boy was so different from the people Draco was used to would let him open up to people in general being different at an earlier age than Lucius did. The narrow mindedness Lucius had had as young were one of the main reasons he had ended up in the service of the Dark Lord.

Lucius was brought out of his thought by a scream sounding through the Manor. He got up from his chair. The scream had been a woman's but not Narcissa's so he assumed it was Melanie Potter. Making his way out of his study he wondered what had happened and if she was ok.

He had thought the sound had come from the Entrance Hall, though it was hard to tell in the Manor, and made his way in that direction. A few seconds after the first there was another scream though this one had words in it.

"Harry James Potter you get down here right this instant!" Lucius knew one young boy who was in a lot of trouble. "You too Draconis Lucius Orion Malfoy!"

Lucius didn't know how Mrs. Potter had learned Draco's full name, not that it really mattered. He himself remembered when his mother had used his full name when he was younger, and not so young. It had never been fun. To have someone else's mother do it. Lucius couldn't help but smile at how not confident Draco must be feeling right now.

The Entrance Hall at Malfoy Manor had double doors leading out of it to the inner parts of the house. These doors were usually kept open to let light through from the high three story windows covering the front wall of the Entrance Hall and simply to make passage easier to and from the large staircase leading to the upper floors.

Now the door in front of Lucius were only slightly open, like someone had pushed it closed on their way through and not gotten it to close all the way. Not thinking much about it Lucius walked up to the door pushed it open and was on his way through when he was hit by a large amount of ice cold water. He just like Melanie couldn't help to let out a scream at the shock. Being hit by a curse was one thing, getting a bucket of water over your head something completely different.

When he got over the initial shock he looked out over the room and saw Melanie standing in the middle of it in a similar state as himself, in other words looking like a drenched cat.

The second thing he noticed were the two boys standing on the stair not really daring to step down in to the room. He also saw that it looked like Draco had borrowed clothes from Harry. Draco rarely used muggle clothes. Lucius had only seen him dressed in it a few times when they'd had to go into muggle London for some reason or other. Now he was wearing green, why green Lucius didn't know, pants a black t-shirt with a silver tie hanging loosely around his neck. He also had the messy hair from yesterday, or more likely a remake of the messy hair from yesterday. Harry was wearing similar clothes in style with the same black pants as the night before and a black t-shirt with a green tie, breast pocket and a few thing Lucius didn't know what they were printed on it. At least they kept to the Slytherin colours.

"I'm so sorry for this Mr. Malfoy." Melanie said. "I'll make sure Harry's grounded for a month when we get home."

Lucius saw the boy pale at the threat. "That won't be necessary." Lucius wasn't completely sure what made him say it, considering he was standing in the Hall dripping water and shaking from cold. He like Melanie was already doing pointed a heating spell on himself to at least make himself warmer and a bit dryer. Maybe it was the fact that he had already made up his mind about the fact that Harry would be good for Draco, or it was that Lucius wished he'd been able to do things like this growing up. As it was now he didn't even know how to act to make Draco see he didn't have to be perfect all the time.

"Really?" The two Potters asked in unison, the older in disbelief, and the younger in hope.

"It's not like the water wont dry up is it." He said and surprised himself even further.

He turned to his son who seemed to shrink under his father's looks. "Draco, you look different." He thought that was the best way to bring up the change without it sounding too much like an accusation and without giving an outright compliment.

"I borrowed from Harry." He said and stepped down from the stairs.

"I gathered as much. Last time I checked your wardrobe you didn't have that kind of clothes in it." Draco stared intently at a spot somewhere in front of Lucius and shifted his feet. Lucius sighed. "You look good though."

Draco looked up at his father with a smile. "You think so?" What Lucius thought had always been important to Draco.

"Yes I do. As long as you don't wear that when we have guests of the kind who we don't want to upset you can wear them."

"Thanks dad."

"Told you, you looked good." Harry said with a confident voice.

"I know. It's just so different."

"I'm gonna go change clothes." Melanie interrupted the boys.

"Yes, me to." Lucius agreed.

The grownups left Melanie Walking upstairs and Lucius back the way he came and left Harry and Draco in the Entrance Hall.

"That went better than expected." Harry said with a low chuckle.

"You were about to be grounded for a month." Draco reminded him.

"But your father came to my rescue."

"I noticed. That was a bit weird."

"Why?"

"He's not the kind of person that usually condones this kind of behavior."

"Well the buckets over the doors is a classic."

"I still can't believe you actually talked me into to doing this."

"What can I say, my powers of persuasion are outstanding." Harry said with a big smile.

"I think we should take the last one down before someone else gets that one over them self too."

Draco had not more than said it before the last door was pushed open. The bucket fell as in slow motion hitting the man entering the Entrance Hall in the head along with the ice cold water.

"Uncle Sev!" Draco called and rushed over to the man who stood swaying frozen in the spot where he had been hit by the water and the falling bucket.

"Oops." Harry said and started chewing on his lower lip.

"What's going on in here?" Narcissa Malfoy came down the stairs and found the two puddles of water the two boys and the drenched Severus Snape. "Severus?" Narcissa said and held her hand over her mouth.

Draco too held his hand over his mouth but in his case in wasn't in horror, but instead in an attempt to hide his laugher. He had never seen his godfather look like this. His father had looked fun standing in the Hall all wet, but it could not beat the speechless Severus Snape.

"Severus, are you ok?" Narcissa walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. The contact seemed to bring Snape back to the present.

"Did I just get a bucket of water over me?" his voice was distant.

Draco couldn't hold the laughter in any more and started laughing so hard he had tears falling down his face and barley could stand up. At Draco's outburst Harry started laughing too, after all the man did look very funny. His shoulder length hair was lying slicked around his face and the long black robes also snuck to his body dripping on the floor around him and the fact that he had that distant confused look only made the whole thing better.

"I believe so."

Severus nodded slowly, and then blinked a few times before turning to look ad Draco. The blond boy immediately sobered up at the new evil glimmer that appeared in the man's black eyes. He raised his wand and preformed a heating spell on himself to dry his clothes and hair.

"Hello uncle Sev." Draco said with a weak voice.

"Why was there a bucket over the door Draco?" The calmness in Snape's voice was slightly terrifying.

"It was fun?" Draco said hopefully.

"Fun?"

"It was my idea." Harry said taking a step forward. "And yes it was fun, you should have seen yourself."

Harry was brave everybody in the room had to give him credit for that, he was also stupid. No-one messed with Severus Snape and got away with it without paying.

"And you are?"

"My name's Harry Potter, sir. I'm a friend of Draco's."

Snape shot Narcissa a glance and the woman nodded. Lucius choose that moment to walk back in to the Entrance Hall.

"Severus, what are you doing here?" He noticed the still damp state of his friend's hair and clothing. "I see you found the last of the buckets."

"I did."

"I know you'd like to give the boys detention but they're not your students. Shall we go and sit down and you can tell me why you showed up unannounced."

Snape reluctantly agreed and left the Hall with Lucius, with Narcissa walking along with them. Once again the two boys were left alone.

"This is a very strange day." Draco stated and looked after his parents and godfather.

"This time I agree with you. Who was that? You're uncle?"

"No not really, Severus is my godfather. He's also the potions professor at Hogwarts."

"So that's what your father meant with giving detention."

"Yes. Severus does not like it when his students don't do as he tells them."

"He didn't tell us to not put a bucket of water over the door."

Draco started laughing again as the memory of the drenched Severus returned. "No, but I don't think he would have cared about that technicality if we had been at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "Why do you think he's here?"

"Let's go find out."

"What about all the water?" Harry asked looking around the still wet floor.

"Dobby!" Draco called and a house-elf appeared with a pop.

"Yes, master Draco, what Dobby do for young master?"

"Could you dry up this water."

"Of course master Draco."

Harry and Draco left the house-elf to do his job.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy along with Severus Snape were sitting in the green room. It was the same room as Harry had arrived in the previous day.

"That boy was Harry Potter, as in the Harry Potter Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter."

"Yes it was." Lucius was amused by the fact that Severus had managed to say the name Harry Potter three times in one sentence.

"Isn't he living with his muggle relatives?" And did he have an American accent?"

"No he isn't and yes he did." Narcissa said.

"Care to explain?"

At that moment they were interrupted by Melanie coming in to the room with a letter in hand, a big smile on her face.

"Severus I would like you to meet Melanie Potter. Melanie this is our good friend Severus Snape." Narcissa introduced them and the two shook hands.

"I got a letter from Mrs. Figg." Melanie squealed like a schoolgirl getting a letter from her crush.

"You did, what did she say?" Lucius squealed like the schoolgirls over exited friend. Severus winced.

"You were right Cissa."

Narcissa clapped her hands together and – Squealed. Severus thought that maybe the bucket had killed him and he had gone to hell. A part of him hoped it.

"What is the matter with this letter?" He asked, and was once again interrupted. This time it was Draco and his new friend entering the room. This was the first time he noticed Draco's new appearance, but he refrained from commenting. This was so not his day.

"We got the letter." Melanie said this time to the boys.

"We did?" Harry looked exited. "What does it say?"

"Cissa was right."

"He really doesn't know?" Surprise was clear in the boy's voice mixed with disbelief.

"Do I ever dare ask what's going on here?" Severus said more to himself then to anyone else.

"Severus." Lucius began. "Maybe you can tell us something. Do you know if Professor Dumbledore knows that Harry doesn't and hasn't lived with his muggle relatives for the past five years?"

Severus's surprised expression was enough answer. "The headmaster is convinced Harry s living and always has lived with the muggles."

"I can't believe it." Melanie said.

"Believe it sweetie." Narcissa placed a hand on Melanie's knee.

"Sev, do you know what Dumbledore's plan for Harry is?"

"Not exactly, but I do know it has something to do with the final demise of the Dark Lord."

"How will having Harry grow up with a family that does not love him help with that?" Melanie asked, her voice hard.

The adults seemed to have forgotten about the boys still standing close to the doors. Draco noticed Harry getting uncomfortable with the subject and hesitantly took Harry's hand in his giving the taller boy support. Harry smiled at his friend and squeezed his hand.

"It's easier to control someone who longs for being loved more than anything than it is controlling someone who has been loved his whole life and has learned to stand up for himself."

The other three adults knew how true that was, but had a hard time believing someone could be cold enough to do it, someone who was the leader of the light side at that.

"I don't think we should tell him yet." Lucius said.

"You want to keep this up?" Melanie asked.

"I agree with Lucius." Severus said. "If this is used right, it will be Harry who controls Dumbledore and not the other way around."

"What if I don't want to control anyone?" Harry spoke up.

All the adult's eyes snapped to the boys standing by the door still holding hands.

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived Mr. Potter." Severus said. "Sooner or later you will be dragged back into the middle of this war. If there is something Dumbledore is right about it is that."

"Was that a necessary thing to say to an eight year-old?" Melanie asked with ice in her eyes and voice.

"I'm sorry, but I think he needs to know about the reality he lives in."

"It's ok mom." Harry said. "I agree with Mr. Snape."

"About what?"

"Both things, not telling about where I live and not letting myself be controlled."

Melanie nodded. "If you want to."

"I do. I still intend to go to Hogwarts. I won't let an, what was it you called him Drake? Right. Manipulative old coot, control my life."

Severus stared at the boy in a state close to shock. He had known James Potter in school. That boy had been a downright arse and as much Gryffindor anyone could be. Harry on the other hand was Slytherin to the bone. It had shone through during the speech and also when he had stood up to him earlier. This was not a boy who would allow himself to be pushed around.

The rest of the day along with the next passed quickly, and too soon it was time for Harry and Melanie to return home. Harry didn't want to go and Draco didn't want him to.

"You have to come visit." Harry was saying. "I'll show you Salem."

"I'd like that." Draco said.

They were standing in front of the fireplace in the green room waiting for Melanie.

"How about Christmas?" Harry suggested.

"What about Christmas?" Melanie asked and walked into the room.

"For Drake to come visit us. It doesn't have to be over Christmas exactly but around there. When we have break."

"I don't see why not. We have to right to each other and decide in a date."

Harry grinned. He was going to show Draco everything there was to see in the city.

"We have to go now honey." Melanie said and took a pinch of floopowder and threw it into the flames.

Harry gave Draco a hug which the blond returned before stepping into the flames and calling "Diagon Alley."


	5. New Years in New York

New chapter (makes a little victory dance) I'm on a roll here. Anyway hope you enjoy it and reviews make my day, or nightor anyother time i might read them.

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Chapter 5 

New Years in New York

It was the 28th of December. Harry was waiting excitedly for Draco to arrive. He was standing outside the room in the Portkey Office in Salem Station where Draco would arrive with his father.

"What time is it?" Harry asked

"One minute later then last time you asked." Adam said amused. Harry had been talking about Draco more or less non-stop for the last two month, and Adam was looking forward to meeting the boy.

"11.52, arriving from Diagon Alley, London." A voice called.

The doors to the arrival room opened. Harry threw himself around the neck of his friend when he came through the doors.

"Drake!" He called.

The two boys had kept contact with each other through owls for the past two months along with their mothers who had become almost as good friends as Harry and Draco. They had done as they had decided and continued to keep quiet about Harry living with the Potters. When Adam had heard about what had been discovered in England he had been as surprised as everybody else. Considering his position in the ministry as the head of the department of magical sports he had thought that the fact that his son was Harry Potter would have spread. That was apparently not the case. After all the only part of the British ministry of magic he ever talked to was the department of magical sport and he and Ludo Bagman never talked about family.

The boys took a step back from each other and Harry turned to his father.

"Dad this is Drake. Drake this is my dad."

"It's nice meting you Mr. Potter."

"Please call me Adam." Adam insisted. "Are you boys ready to go?"

"Yeah I so can't wait to show you everything." Harry said taking Draco's hand and starting to drag him through the station towards the fireplaces. Draco couldn't do much more than laugh at his friend. Adam was the one left to take care of Draco's luggage. Not that he minded much.

They stepped out of the fireplace at the Potter's home Harry had arrived first and stood waiting for Draco when he stepped out of the fireplace.

"I welcome you to my humble abode." Harry said with a low bow.

"I thank you my dear sir." Draco said with a bow of his own.

They heard a giggle coming from the stairs. Both boys looked up and saw Hailey coming down the stairs.

"Is that some kind of British thing?" She asked.

"Not really." Draco said. "Who are you?"

Harry grabbed Draco's hand again and pulled him over to the girl.

"Drake this is my sister Hailey. Hailey I want you to be nice." Harry glared at his sister.

"I'm always nice." She said with a pretend hurt voice.

"Oh please there is a reason they call Ballenger Setherton's Slytherin."

Ballenger was the house at Setherton to which Hailey belonged. It was named after Christopher Ballenger who had been one of the first wizards to come to North America and settle down there. Different from Hogwarts the houses at Setherton wasn't named after the founders but instead after three important people in the history of wizarding society in North America.

Draco looked at the girl standing in front of him. She reminded him of Harry they had the same black hair as him but with purple stripes and a style that were rather similar. With the exception that instead using a black base in her clothing like Harry did she really seemed to love colours, and wore skirt instead of pants.

Adam exited the fireplace behind the three children standing by the stairs and together they started making their way up to the Potter's floor.

"This place is really cool." Draco said as they started to walk up the stairs. "You said you live here with three other families, right."

Harry had told Draco about how he lived before but it was different to actually see it for himself.

"Yes, it's the Chapmans at the bottom then it's the Sellengers and then us, and Mr. and Mrs. Falkland live on the top." Harry explained.

They reached the third floor. Harry immediately opened the door.

"Mom we're back!"

Melanie appeared in the hall to welcome their guest.

"Hello Draco I hope your trip went well." She smiled at Draco and her two children.

"Yes, there was no problem."

Melanie noticed that Draco didn't seem to have anything with him and was about to ask about him when Adam showed up in the doorway panting and putting down a large bag.

"Honey, where's you wand?" Melanie said looking between the large bag and her panting husband.

Adam gave Melanie a sheepish grin. "I do know where it not is. However its current exact location is a mystery even to a man with my superior intelligence."

Melanie sighed deeply. "You've lost it again."

Draco looked at Harry trying to figure out if this was normal behavior in the Potter household, by the boys amused expression it was.

"I wouldn't say I have lost it. Misplaced it yes, lost it no." Adam defended himself.

Melanie sighed again and shook her head at her husband's childish behavior.

"Harry, Hailey do either of you know the location of your father's wand?"

Both the children nodded.

"You do?" Adam asked surprised.

Draco noted that Melanie did not look surprised at these news.

"Where is it?" She asked.

"I the couch upstairs. Dad left it there when he went to bed last night." Hailey answered.

"I did?" Adam scratched his head, trying to remember.

"You did." Hailey confirmed.

"Oh." Adam left to retrieve his wayward wand and left the rest of the family and Draco still standing in the hall.

Draco stared between the remaining members of the Potters. They were about as far from his own family as one could get.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." Melanie said to Draco. "You have to excuse Adam. It's just the way he is."

"That's OK." Draco assured.

"Harry show Draco to his room." Melanie said.

"Tesly!" She called and the house elf showed up with a pop.

"Mistress?" The elf squealed.

"Take Draco's things upstairs."

"Right away Mistress." The elf grabbed the bag and disappeared with another pop.

As soon as the elf was gone Harry grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him up the stairs to the left where Adam had disappeared a few minutes ago.

The room Draco was going to stay in was like Harry's located on the right side of the corridor and shared bathroom with Harry's room. They didn't stay long in the bedroom before setting out to explore the rest of the house.

Salem square was a wonderful place according to Draco. Compared to Diagon Alley everything was a lot bigger here. Gringotts may have had a bigger vault in England, but the building itself was easily twice as big in Salem. They had walked past the huge building soon after they walked out of the station.

"Is everything this big here?" Draco asked and looked around.

"You know how wizards have to be worse than muggle in everything they do, even if the muggles don't know anything about the competition." Melanie said as they walked passed a building that seemed to touch the clouds. "If the buildings outside Salem square get bigger the buildings inside Salem square get bigger." She said with a shake of her head.

"Look there." Harry pointed at a large building that looked to be painted in all the colours of the rainbow, and a few more. "It's the largest toy store in the whole world." Harry said and jumped up and down on the spot.

"Exited much"?" Draco asked.

"Just wait till you see it. They have sections for both wizards toy and muggle ones. And not everything is for small children they have a whole floor with joke stuff."

"Where I will not spend my whole day waiting for you to find the perfect joke." Melanie said to her son.

The inside of the toy store was really amazing. Draco had to admit though he had been a bit skeptic about going to a toy store of all places. But it was, really amazing. Every floor seemed to have a theme. There was no special sections for girls and boys like there usually were. Instead everything were divided by, fun and jokes, food and candy, educational, speed and flying, dolls and creatures, muggle and baby. There was also a decorative thee around on every floor.

On the first floor that had the food and candy everything looked like something that you could eat. There was gingerbread houses filled with more candy than Draco had ever seen. Giant ice-cream cones worked as pillars and candy canes created vaults that separated different sections. You got dizzy just walking in to the fun and joke floor. It was built like a maze with uneven stairs and steps, and mirrors to confuse you. The educational floor had a clear school theme. Actually it had a Hogwarts theme much to Draco's amusement. The walls were in ruff stone and there were portraits on the walls giving you advice on purchases and gave the latest advertisements for the store. Speed and flying had an enchanted ceiling that showed Quidditch players fly on the same sky as dragons. More dragons, though not real, walked around amongst the shoppers. There was even a room where you could play Quidditch inside the store. The dolls and creature section was the fluffiest thing Draco had ever seen. Stuffed animals and other creatures sat on shelves and walked around everywhere. He even got jumped by a large black stuffed dog. Who decided is liked Draco and wouldn't leave him alone. The muggle section was the most normal floor. It held shelves painted in different colours depending on subject, age and gender. He only looked quickly at the baby section all he really could tell was that there was baby blue and pink everywhere and there seemed to be fairies flying around.

"What are you looking at?" Draco asked Harry who unsurprisingly had gotten stuck at the fun and jokes floor. The room they were in was big as one of the manor's sitting rooms, covered completely in mirror, floor, ceiling and walls. To make it even harder to find your way back out again the shelves had been placed in a maze. When you did find your way out of the room you had to find your way through another maze to get to the one of stairs that led to the other floors. Luckily there were help spots all over the store. All you had to do was place your hand on it and someone would show up and help you get out.

"These," Harry held up something that _looked_ like normal bars of soap. "Apparently attracts ants if you use them."

"Why would you want soap that attracts ants?"

"Well, you could want them because it's amusing to see someone you don't like covered in ants, or maybe you like ants and finds them all cute and cuddly."

"So they're for sending an army of ants on your enemy." Draco declared.

"Yes, and here is the fly shampoo." Harry held up a bottle of seemingly normal shampoo. "That could also be amusing."

"It could."

"Or what about this." Harry walked over to another shelf. "Instant metaformagi, hide who you are to not get caught." Harry read.

Draco nodded approvingly then noted another bottle of shampoo. it seemed they were on the body section. "I would love using this on Uncle Sev." He said and picked down the bottle.

Harry laughed when he read what it was. "Haven't we messed with him enough? He would kill you if you turned his hair red with golden stripes. Not only would it look horrible on him, but its Gryffindor colours as well."

"I know that's the point, and there's soap to it as well. He would get all red and gold striped."

"It's your funeral."

"I thought you liked pranks?"

"I do, I love them, but I'm hardly suicidal. I'm going to play plenty of pranks on your Uncle when we start Hogwarts, but nothing this dangerous. At least not right away." He said with a smile.

"You're right, unfortunately." Draco sat the products down. "Maybe they have something that will turn his hair green and silver instead."

"Now you're getting it. You have to take it as far as possible without crossing the line. You can't hurt anyone. Not physically and not emotionally. Embarrassment is ok, humiliation is not. No prank can leave to lasting effects, there are exceptions on that but that's for later."

"Are you trying to make me like you?" Draco asked innocently.

"Trying and succeeding by the looks of it." Harry said eyeing Draco's clothes for the day. "Damn." Harry suddenly said and picked up a small gold ball from his pocked. It was a small communicator that was now vibrating, telling Harry that his mother wanted him to come. "We have to go. Mum's waiting." Before they left Harry picked up a couple of bars of the Ant Soap, and a bottle of Fly Shampoo. "You never know when these things may come in handy." He said at Draco's questioning look.

Harry lay down his spoon after having finished his desert.

"Merlin I'm full." He said. "Mum, you have to tell Tesly to not make so damn good food. I feel like I'm gonna burst."

"Don't let her hear you say that. She'll probably listen to you." His father said.

"You right." Harry said. "That elf what's to please a little too much at times."

"Isn't that their job's?" Draco asked.

"Sure." Hailey said. "But sometimes she can really over do it."

"Like the time I asked her to help me with my homework. Oh, she helped, the only problem with that was that she can't even read. I woke up to having my school books covered in gibberish that dad had to spell away."

Draco laughed at her story. "Don't they say it's the thought that counts?"

"Whatever." Hailey said and went back to her ice-cream.

"What are we going to do at midnight?" Harry asked the table at large. It was New Years Eve and he knew what he wanted to do, but he needed to know if his parents had any plans first.

"Going out in the garden like every other New Years Eve." His mother answered. "Why?" She then asked looking suspicious.

"Nothing." Harry said quickly.

"You know no one believes that right?" Draco said.

"Maybe I did have some plans of my own, but I won't leave the house and it is nothing dangerous or hurtful in any way so you can all relax."

"I'm never relaxed when it comes to you." His mother muttered darkly. Harry at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed.

"Come on." He grabbed Draco's hand and started leading him back into the house.

"Aren't we supposed to watch the fireworks with you family and neighbors?"

"I have already admitted to having other plans so what do you think?"

"Erm, no."

"No." Harry started leading Draco by the hand again.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Michael asked. Him and Liam waling up to them.

"Going up on the roof." Harry answered.

"Really?" Liam asked. The twins looked at each other.

"Can we come?" They chorused.

"Sure, but hurry, we only have a few minutes to get up there."

Hurriedly they made their way up to the top floor and over to a small door at the far end of the landing. Thanks to Harry and his "borrowing" of his father wand earlier the door was unlocked. Draco had been in the shower earlier when Harry had made all the preparations. They ran up the narrow stairs and opened the door and stepped out on the roof. There was a fairly high edge around the roof and it wasn't really dangerous to be up there as long as you were careful. Harry led his friends over to a stack of filibuster fireworks lying on the rooftop waiting for them.

Liam looked at the stack. "Wicked." He exclaimed.

They set up the fireworks and waited for the hour to strike. They started counting down from ten. Liam and Michael knelt by the filibuster while Harry and Draco stayed back watching them. At the stroke of midnight Harry leaned over and placed a kiss on Draco's cheek.

"Why'd you do that?" Draco asked over the sound of the fireworks.

Harry shrugged. "It's tradition." At that point the sky opened and a rain started pouring down.

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I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the other but I didn't know what to write, sorry. Anyway now I want you opinion. Should I follow the plot in PS or should I write something new? As you may have figured out Harry will be in Slytherin, but should he be friends with for example Ron and Hermione or should they be enemies? I want your opinions so please review 


	6. Mischief at Spinner’s End

Hi again, guess what. I've finished another chaper. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, and all of you who have given advise. I have taken your requests into concideration and I think i know how I want to go about this story. If you have any ideas i'd love to hear about them though. Next chapter will be a bit different i think. Finally the old coot eill find out not everything has gone acording to his plans. Look forwrd to it. Now enjoy this chapter and all be back as soon as I've finshed a new.

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Chapter 6 

Mischief at Spinner's End

Draco stepped out of the fireplace at Spinner's End. He really wondered how his parents had gotten Uncle Sev to agree on letting him and Harry stay with him while their parents went on a small vacation together. It was Easter break at Hogwarts. That was why their parents had chosen this time for their getaway. Hailey would be staying at school during the break at it was _only_ Draco and Harry visiting. When he'd regained his balance he looked up to see Sev stand as far away from the fireplace, while still being in the same room, looking decidedly uneasy. It was only because Draco had known the man his entire life he could tell he was uneasy but clearly was. For a teacher he definitely was uncommonly uncomfortable around children. Harry and Draco were after all only one year younger then the first years and there was only two of them, not a whole class. He shouldn't look _that_ uncomfortable.

"Hello Uncle Sev." Draco said and stepped away from the fireplace to leave room for the others.

"Hello Draco." Sev gave a small inclination of the head. The fireplace roared behind Draco and he turned to see Harry almost fall out of it, but caught his best friend the moment before he hit the floor.

"Thanks Drake."Harry stood up and brushed some dust from his clothes. Today being jeans and a black tee-shirt "You may think you look good…"Printed on the front and "…But I know I'm gorgeous." On the back. Draco knew the shirt was a gift from Hailey from Christmas.

"Hello Severus." Harry greeted as the fireplace activated and Lucius Malfoy came through it. A few moments later all four parents were sitting down in Sev's living room having tea and discussing the upcoming trip and the boys staying with Sev.

"You are ok with this now?" Melanie asked for the probably thousand time.

"I wouldn't have agreed to it otherwise." Sev answered.

"I know I'm sorry, I'm just a bit nervous leaving my son alone in a foreign country."

"Mom I'm ten." Harry whined with a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. "I'll be going to Hogwarts next year, and it's not like I haven't stayed with Drake in England before."

"He's right Mrs. Potter." Draco said.

"Melanie." She corrected automatically. Draco he never been able to call Harry's mom by her first name outside her own home, he'd had too much manor banged into his head when he was younger, not literally speaking.

"I can assure you Mrs. Potter that the boys will be quite safe." Sev said.

"I know, I'm just being paranoid, but as you know Harry can be a bit – mischievous, at his best of times."

"Mom!" Harry wailed indignantly.

"Melanie dear are you trying to get Mr. Snape to change his mind?" Adam asked his wife in a gentle tone.

Melanie looked alarmed. "I didn't make you change your mind did I?"

"So much for loving me and wanting to be with me." Harry whispered theatrically in Draco's ear.

"You did not change my mind. I have to deal with a set of twins with a similar mindset to your son's on a regular basis. I believe I will survive for four days."

"Twins?" Harry and Lucius asked simultaneously. Draco guessed his father wanted to know which family they came from while Harry was more interested in potential allies.

"Weasley." Sev said and Lucius nodded understandingly. Draco knew his father didn't like the Weasley's, called them a disgrace to the blood. The Weasley's hadn't been accepted in the pure-blood circles for many generations now. They married beneath them and thanks to having too many children they had run out of money.

"Who are the Weasleys?" Harry asked.

"A pure-blooded wizarding family." Lucius explained. "We however do not socialize with them. "Mr. Weasley have an unhealthy obsession with everything muggle. Last I heard he I think he had a collection of – plugs? I think they now have seven children?" HE looked at Sev who nodded. "I guess it's nothing wrong with a big family, but I believe it to be wise to be able to provide for the children you bring to the world."

"They don't have that much money then." Adam asserted.

"No, they have just enough, but no more than that."

"And they all have red hair." Draco supplied.

"That they do. Got it both from the Weasley and the Prewett lines." Lucius said.

"Poor children." Narcissa had never been particularly fond of red hair.

Harry wouldn't call Spinner's End beautiful. There was a small river running not far from Severus home but it was dirty and not very fun to look at. Severus's home wasn't the most beautiful thing Harry had seen either. Everything in it was rather dark and it had a cold feeling to it despite it being April and rather nice weather outside.

"You lived here long?" He asked the man sitting on the couch reading a book on potions. His and Draco's parents had left little over an hour ago and he was already totally bored.

"My whole life. Not in this precise house but around here."

"Oh," Harry would have been miserable growing up in a place like this.

"Your mother grew up in Spinner's End as well." Severus suddenly said and out down his book. "Lily I mean."

Harry's eyes grew wide. He didn't really know anything about his parents. He knew his mother was muggleborn. His father had obviously come from the Potter line. They had gone to Hogwarts and they had been killed by Lord Voldemort that was more or less everything he knew about them.

"You knew my mother?"

"Why haven't you mentioned that before?" Draco who had been just as bored as Harry asked.

"There hasn't been an opportunity." Harry wanted to object to that. It was after all not that hard to open your mouth and tell someone you used to know their now dead mother, but he thought better of it.

"Were you friends?" He asked instead.

Severus nodded though hesitantly. "Lily was a kind person. We spent a fair amount of time together before going to Hogwarts. I was the one who told her about magic, about her being a witch."

"You did? What did she say about that? How old was she?" He knew he should wait for the answer on one question before asking the next one but he was so exited he couldn't help himself.

"Indeed I did. We were nine years old when we first met. I had watched her and her sister play in the park for a sometime. Several times I would observe her doing small amounts of wandless magic. For someone who didn't even know she was witch or what magic was she had an extraordinary control on her powers. Of course the first time I told her what she was she wouldn't believe me."

"I can understand that." Harry nodded. "I mean I was three when I found out I was wizard, had I been nine, I probably would have thought it was a joke. A very bad and very strange joke."

"Yes." Severus nodded. "Lily accepted my story after a while though and I started to teach her about the wizarding world. She was fascinated and wanted to learn more. Her sister, Petunia, I believe, didn't like that at all. She fought it was weird and freakish. Though on the inside I believe she was jealous of what her sister could do and she couldn't and never would be able to do."

"Wow, I guess that explains why she didn't like having me live with her." Harry said. "She was reminded of what her sister had been able to do and not her."

"It is possible."

"You said you spent time together before Hogwarts." Draco said. "What happened when you got there?"

A shadow passed over Severus face. "We were sorted into different houses. I in Slytherin and her in Gryffindor. We continued to be friend, sort of, for a time."

"What happened then?" Both Harry and Draco were at the edges of their seats needing to hear more.

"Well." Severus started hesitantly. "There was this group of Gryffindors. Four boys who you rarely saw without the others, especially two of them."

"Who were they?" Harry asked.

"Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black," Draco jumped slightly at the name. "And James Potter."

"James Potter, as in?" Harry asked

"Your father yes."

"What'd they do?"

"They, how should I put this, were not my favorite people in school. In fact we pretty much hated each other."

"And by pretty much you mean did." Draco concluded.

Severus nodded. "Why?" Harry asked.

"They…" He trailed off, looking like he didn't know what to say next.

"Were they mean?" Severus looked surprised at Harry's blunt question. "Just because he was my father it doesn't automatically make him a saint you know. Sure I want to think of him as a good person. However many of the bullies from school grows up to have families. All you can really hope for is that the children don't repeat their parents' mistakes." Harry seemed to have actually rendered Severus speechless. "Are you ok?"

"You may look like him, but you are nothing like your father."

"You are not the kind of person I want as my enemy. I can be proud but a certainly know when to cut my losses."

"You're not upset you just found out your father used to bully Uncle Sev." Harry could see Severus flitch in the corner of his eye at the not so subtle formulation.

"Of course I am. Aren't you upset your father used to be a Death Eater?"

"Point taken."

Severus was impressed he had three even forth year that wasn't as good in the art of potion making as his two young guests. Draco he had known was a natural talent at the subject and Harry was either a quick study or a natural as well, or possibly both. He had told Severus that his mother rarely let him brew potions at home, because apparently she was afraid he was going to attempt making a bomb. He had assured Severus that he would never do that. Still he was keeping a close eye on the boys. He had yet to forget his first encounter with the Potter boy.

"Could you pass me the dried nettles?" Draco asked the dark haired boy who silently pushed the bag across the table. When Lucius requested he watch the boys he'd had all intentions to turn the man down on the spot. He had to deal with enough stuck up brats at Hogwarts to be willing to do it in his own home as well. He wasn't even quite sure what had made him change his mind maybe it was the fact that he, ever since that first time, had been curios about Harry, maybe he had missed spending time with his godson, or maybe he wanted to see if there really was a difference between children when they were at school and when they were at home, or in this case in Severus home. Maybe he had just wanted an excuse to tell the story he'd told earlier. He had cared deeply for Lily, maybe even loved her, he wasn't sure he was capable of that particular emotion. Potter and Black's actions had hurt and humiliated him, but they hadn't hurt nearly as much as heaving Lily turn her back on him to go chasing after the bane of his existence. A part of him had wanted to hurt the boy for what his father had done to him. He knew it was petty of him, but the part of him that wanted Harry to hurt didn't care. That first time he had at first thought he'd seen a ghost, as the saying went. The boy, almost identical to his father standing there, trying not to laugh after he had played one of his pranks on ´Snivellus. Harry wasn't his father though, he was more Lily's son. Lily's and his adoptive family's.

"Severus?" Harry asked and looked up from the book he was working from.

"Yes Harry?"

"The book says, stir three times clockwise then four times counter clockwise, but in the margin it says, four times clockwise and three times counter clockwise. Why is that?"

"When working on this potion in the past I have come to the conclusion that the Armadillo Bile mixes better with the rest of the ingredients if you stir the potion in the opposite direction to what this book suggests."

"You can do that? Change the instructions and get a better result?"

"That is what it means to be a potions master, Potter. To be a master you have to be able to be able to break away from already explored paths."

"You have to be able to create and not only copy as we as students." Harry said.

"Yes."

"Have you made your own potion?" Harry leaned his head slightly to the side like he was trying to determine what kind of potions Severus could have created.

"I have created several potions. At this very moment I'm working on a potion I call the wolfbane potion."

"What will it do?" Draco asked joining the conversation.

"It will allow a werewolf to keep its human mind during the full moon."

"What's the point of that?" Draco asked.

"A werewolf that thinks like a human is less likely to attack and bite you." Harry, to Severus surprise, answered.

"That is correct." He said.

"Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense." Draco said after a moment.

"I'm sure there will be many werewolves out there who will be very grateful for that potion once it's finished." Harry said and smiled and Severus.

"I certainly hope so."

He had been _so_ good for two whole days. He had done as he'd been told. He had even helped out in the kitchen. Not with the cooking though. Apparently his newfound skills in potions did not extend to the art of cooking. Harry was beyond bored. He was lying on the grass in the garden staring at the clouds that passed over his head. Draco had joined Severus in his potions lab again. It was fun with potions, sure, but he'd done it for two days straight now. He needed play a prank on someone, like now. After what he had learned about Severus and his – James's relationship he figured he would have to go easy on the man. At least for now. His first impression of Severus Snape had been that he was not the kind of man you chose to play a prank on unless you wanted to be in deep shit about it later. At the time he had pretended to be confident both in front of Severus and Draco, but had not really felt it. Now he thought he knew what it had been he had seen deep inside the dark haired mans eyes. He sat up suddenly and an almost evil smile spread on his features. He now had a mission and his day didn't seem so boring anymore. It was up to him to make Severus Snape, grumpy potions master extraordinaire, see the joys of a well played prank.

"Sooo, where shall I begin?" He said to himself. He got up from the ground and headed for the house and the room he was sharing with Draco. He hurried over to his bag to check what he had brought with him he could use. Unfortunately he didn't have access to a wand since he didn't dare steal Severus's and he wouldn't get his own until the end of the summer. He would just have to improvise.

Severus could have sworn his home had looked _slightly_ different when he had gone down to his basement lab this morning. Slightly less _pink_ and _fluff__y._

"Harry!" A _woman _showed up dressed in a light pink dress with a white frilly apron.

"Hello dear. How was your day?" She seemed slightly artificial.

"Ehm." Severus didn't know what was going on here. His house which usually was very dark something that went very well with his personality was now white and pink and purple. His sofa was beige with large pink roses, and that was not to mention the woman – thing. Her hair was golden blond, her eyes the clearest of blue and that smile was simply not real.

"Are you not feeling well dear?"

"Harry!" He bellowed and took a few steps back as the woman started walking towards him. Someone standing just outside his line of vision in the hall started to laugh.

"You have to respond to her, or she'll never leave you alone." Harry said between fits of laugher. Draco who had heard the commotion had come up the stairs and stood frozen in shook in the doorway to the basement.

"What is she?" Severus said and took another step backwards.

"Housewife nightmare, assures you stay bachelor just a little longer." Harry said with a voice that suggested he was reading an advertisement.

"Dear are you sure you are alright?" The scary blond – nightmare asked. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." He said annoyed with the woman's persistent nagging about how he was. That that damn dear´ was already getting on his nerves.

"I'm delighted to hear that dear. If you just sit down I will make you a cup of tea." She smiled a bright smile of perfect white teeth.

"No." An expression of confusion appeared on the magically created woman's face, and to Severus horror it seemed like she was close to breaking down in tears seconds later.

"Potter! Turn. This. Thing. Off." He said with emphasis on every word.

"I'm sorry Professor Snape." He said with mock sincerity. "The magic will dissipate in about two hours and the charm will be broken. In the meantime I think your _wife_ is about to start crying. Maybe you should agree to that cup of tea she suggested.

It was two of the worst hours in Severus life. The thing which insisted on calling him, dear. Talk without constantly. About thing such as new cleaning charms and pink cushions. What was it with all the pink? Were the creators of this charm _trying_ to drive him insane? Probably. Finally the charm faded and the woman disappeared with a final smile.

"What the hell was the point with that stunt, Potter?"

The boy leaned his head to the side. "Is it Potter now?" He and Draco had been watching the interaction from a safe distance.

"Yes it bloody well is. I've spent two hours talking about cushions!"

"Actually – Sir. You barley said a word."

Severus glared at the innocently looking child. He looked younger than he usually did. Dressed in grey sweatpants and a plain _Gryffindor _red tee-shirt, even his hair was for once a plain black.

"Why did you even do it? How did you do it?" He finally said.

"I was bored. This place needed a little colour and I used a magical joke article. They are meant to be given to guys who have just gotten engaged. You can even get a kind that looks like their fiancé. I only got the basic one though."

"You were bored?" Severus asked rubbing his face.

"Yeah, I mean potions are fine and all that but…" He trailed off looking embarrassed.

What did you do with two ten year old, one who clearly was overactive. "What do you usually do?"

"Erm, well school, homework or play pranks. That's pretty much it. I play Quidditch with my dad when he has time."

"I think I have a couple of old brooms if you want to use them."

"Really?" Draco asked. Severus knew how much the boy liked flying and according to Lucius Draco had gotten much better at his technique since meeting the Potter boy. Apparently having a father who was the head of the Department of magical sports did pay off.

"Wait here and I go and get them."

"Severus?" Harry asked.

"Yes?"

"You're not angry are you?"

"No I'm not angry." The boys face lit up in a ridiculously bright smile.

The boys had left not five minutes ago. Severus went up the stairs towards hid bedroom. He was going to lie down and take a deep breath before doing anything else. He opened the door and to his amazement dozens if not hundreds of butterflies flew around the room. On the of his bed lay his wand with a note "Thanks." On it. Severus hand automatically went to the pocket where he always kept his wand he hadn't known it was missing. That boy could become dangerous if he wanted to he realized as he picked up his wand and vanished the butterflies safe one that he watched as it flew around the room looking for a way out. Harry must be magically powerful if he was able to summon a that large number of, even something as small as a butterfly, without using an incantation, and the whole picking Severus pocked thing. No one had ever succeeded with that without him noticing before. Sneaky, bright and powerful indeed.


	7. Men with beards and turbans

Chapter 7

Interlude: Men with beards and turbans.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Sat in his office staring down at the letter he'd just received. It couldn't be. If this was true all his careful planning was ruined. What he was looking at was a letter from Petunia Dursley. She had returned the letter he'd sent to her home, informing him that Harry Potter hadn't lived with her family for close to eight years now. She also wrote some cousin of the boy's father had been the one to remove him from her care something she was very grateful for.

Albus had of course known about the relatives the boy had on his father's side, but had decided that it would be in everybody's best interest if the boy grew up with his muggle relatives. He had wanted the boy to rely on him as much as possible once he came to Hogwarts. Now it seemed that due to circumstances he did not yet know the boy had grown up in the wizarding world. This was no good. This was no good at all.

Meanwhile in a forest in Albania a man in his mid thirties is running for his life. When he left Hogwarts and England to get some firsthand experience in Defense Against the Dark Arts or more specifically in dark creatures in their natural habitats. He didn't expect to run into a pack of Graphorns. Since their hides were even thicker than that of a dragon and he was alone he didn't have much time but to run. He was so panicked, running though the thick underground of the forest the thought of apparition didn't even cross his mind. Trees and brushed hit his face leaving deep gashed from which blood ran down his cheeks and neck, the smell of fresh blood only edging the animals on further. The first clawed foot hit his shoulder, the force of it bringing him to the ground. The last thing Quirinius Quirrell was aware of was growling and the tearing of large clawed feet on his back.

Rubeus Hagrid groundskeeper at Hogwarts school of witchcraft had two important jobs this day one was halfway finished and the other he was just about to do. All in all it had been a good day. Hermione Granger the muggleborn girl he had picked up at her parents' house earlier in the day had not been any problem to him and she had helped him with everything muggle he had to deal with to get them both to Diagon Alley to pick up her school supplies. They walked into Gringotts wizarding bank and Hagrid walked up to one of the goblins.

"Hello. We are here to change some muggle money and I have a note from Dumbledore about you know what in you know which." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a note he handed to the goblin. The goblin read over the note and nodded.

"Everything seems to be in order. Come with me."

* * *

This chapter is really short and really weird, and I just killed Quirrell.It's just to give you an idea of what's going on with the world at large. 


	8. Athors note

Hi!

I have decided to officially discontinue this story. After all I haven't written anything for about two years.

I'm sorry, if anyone feels like they would like to take over this story in any shape or form feel free, I don't mind.

/Sanna


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